KARACHI: Punjab PPP’s vice president and former federal information minister Firdaus Ashiq Awan said here on Friday that the problems afflicting the party were of a serious nature and ‘major surgery’ was needed to overcome them. The ailments could no more be treated ‘homoeopathic doses’.

Addressing journalists at the Karachi Press Club, she said the situation was critical not only in a particular province. The entire party needed an overhaul and cleansing.

Ms Awan had arrived here from Sialkot on Thursday to attend a meeting summoned by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to discuss the organisational matters of the party’s Punjab chapter and discuss the situation relating to fielding candidates in the coming local body elections in the province.

She held a separate meeting with the party chief at the Bilawal House on Friday.

Talking about the discussion held with Mr Bilawal Bhutto, she said that Punjab determined the direction of politics but currently lacked leadership and was looking for someone who could protect it from PML-N’s victimisation and its attitude of not tolerating opposition.

“We have come to Sindh in search of Muhammad Bin Qasim to end the oppressive rule of Raja Dahir.”

The PPP leader said she had held a frank discussion with the party chief on PPP affairs and people’s expectations and found that the chairman himself was not happy with the situation.

The state of affairs required quick actions on matters of priority ad any inordinate delay in rectification would push the party to a far deeper malady, she said.

Ms Awan said there was a general perception among the people of Punjab that the PPP was in the opposition and also in the government and that it supported PML-N’s policies. “This double standard is the crux of the problem and cause of people’s frustration,” she said.

She said opposition party supporting a government which was committing blunder after blunder was tantamount to committing political suicide.

Ms Awan said a political party moved forward only when it represented aspirations of the people and if it ignored their pressing issues it was reduced to the status of a party only on paper.

“If we want to see the PPP as the party of the masses that it was in the days of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto, it has to take decisions keeping in view the ground realities, instead of personal likes and dislikes,” she said.

The PPP leader said she had explained her reservations and offered her resignation which the chairman had declined to accept. Now, one could only wait to see how far her point of view had been taken seriously by the party chief because decisions had to be taken by him, she said.

Replying to a question, Ms Awan said the new PPP leadership was capable of taking decisions and it soon would be evident.

She said the party had suffered and reached a stage where it faces threat to its existence because of lack of accountability, governance and rule of merit in its governments. It would have to pay the price of its shortcomings, she added.

She said there was a common perception in Punjab that the PPP had become the B-team of the PML-N, while those elected to parliament from Sindh were indulging in the politics of personal interest.

She said the PPP could not champion the cause of people as the B-team of the PML-N. This may pave the way for some other party occupying its position.

Ms Awan said the best way to resurrect the party would be for its office-bearers to express their confidence in the leadership of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and resign to let him select his own team.

Replying to a question, she said accountability ought to continue at every level but victimisation should be avoided. Anyone found flouting rules and deviating from the rule of law should be taken to task.

She said that the PPP considered the army to be an integral part of the state which had rendered unprecedented sacrifices. Similarly, the PPP was the only party whose leaders and workers had laid down their lives for its ideology and the country had strived to maintain civil-military relations.

She said that if the army wanted to eliminate criminals from politics to save the prestige of politicians, the PPP ought to support it.

The PPP could never think of going against the army, she said.

Replying to another question, the PPP leader asked why one should talk about corruption only in Sindh; it should be rooted out from the entire country.

She said that besides a negative perception created about Sindh, the province had its own issues and the biggest challenge related to its capacity which should be enhanced with assistance and facilitation; whereas in Punjab cases of theft were highlighted but dacoits were protected.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2015

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