PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, which rules the centre, seems to have lost ground to opponents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to lack of attention on part of central leadership towards its re-organisation.

The party’s poor performance in the recent local government elections in the province is enough to bear out the notion.

Most PML-N office-bearers complain the central leadership doesn’t meet them or call them to functions at the central level.

Lately, Rehmat Salam Khattak resigned as PML-N provincial general secretary for being ignored by the leadership though he cited personal reasons for the move. The office is vacant.

At least 20 provincial office-bearers are ready to resign in protest if the party’s leadership did not pay attention to the problems faced by workers in the province.


Activists say central leadership not bothered about party’s reorganisation


Many of them told Dawn that they were unable to answer questions of workers why the federal ministers belonging to their party didn’t give them time to know about their problems and ensure their resolution.

An insider said PML-N provincial president Pir Sabir Shah was also not given ‘due attention’ by the leadership though he always remained loyal to the party and never protested.

He said the PML-N leadership had focused only on the party’s strengthening in Hazara division and thus, ignoring Pakhtun belt.

The main reason for it is that many party leaders having say in the federal government, including Nawaz Sharif’s son-in-law Capt (r) Mohammad Safdar, provincial governor Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan, religious affairs minister Sardar Yousaf, National Assembly deputy speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi and Senator Gen (r) Salahuddin Tirmazi, belong to Hazara.

On the other hand, Pakhtun belt has no such leader.

However, Engineer Amir Muqam, adviser to the prime minister, is an exception as he is actively working for the party in the province.

Leading the campaign, he helped the party win local government elections in home district, Shangla, as well as Swat.

A PML-N leader said changes to the original plan of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor were enough to prove that the Pakhtun belt was neglected in the project and that such moves would damage the party.

When contacted, PML-N provincial vice president, Waqif Khan, said the party’s central leadership had totally ignored workers in the province and thus causing unrest among them.

Accusing the party’s central leadership of ignoring workers in the province, he warned workers were ready to launch a protest campaign after Eidul Azha for the workers’ rights in order to save the party in the province.

Waqif Khan said PML-N activists were joining political parties in a state of disappointment as no one was there to pay attention to their problems and that the party was passing through a very crucial period in the province.

He said central leaders of all other parties took active part in functions and meetings and thus encouraging workers but the PML-N totally ignored its people over few years.

The PML-N leader asked central leadership to form a committee to meet workers and make a comprehensive report regarding those rendering sacrifices for the party saying this will help discourage time-servers and save party from further destruction.

He said if prompt attention was not given to the party in KP, then it would be unable to succeed in future elections.

PML-N Peshawar district president Abdul Sattar Khalil too insisted the situation for party was worsening in the province due to lack of interest on part of the central leadership.

He said he had repeatedly tried to develop liaison between workers and leadership but failed.

“I have been serving the party for around three decades and have suffered financially and faced at the time when the leadership was in exile but never served personal interests,” he said.

Khalil said PML-N was in the power and it was time that the leadership focus on the party’s re-organisation in the province, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said leadership had no proper contact with party’s office-bearers in different districts of the province and therefore, the party lost the last general elections and recent local body elections as well.

“The party has focused attention only on Hazara division and ignored Pakhtun belt for unidentified reasons. We have time and again requested central leadership to take corrective measures and take workers into confidence but to no avail,” he complained.

Khalil complained all political parties were giving importance to district level organisations but t he PML-N was least bothered about doing so and as a result, its senior activists and leaders were quitting.

He said the officials of federal government ministries didn’t pay attention to the problems of PML-N activists in the province causing unrest among them.

Khalil said workers loved Nawaz Sharif but he too should direct ministers to ensure early resolution of the workers’ problems.

Pir Sabir Shah was not available for comments.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.