NAUDERO: The central executive committee of PPP decided on Sunday night to install Asif Ali Zardari as president of Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP).

Mr Zardari already enjoys the status of co-chairman of PPP.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the CEC presided over by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari at the Naudero House.

Briefing newsmen after the meeting, PPP General Secretary Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Qamar Zaman Kaira said the decision was unanimous.

Know more: Zardari weighs option to take charge of PPP-P

They said the matter was not on the agenda, but the proposal came in from provincial presidents of the party. It was welcomed and unanimously adopted.

The CEC meeting was exclusively held to pay tribute to Benazir Bhutto.

The meeting paid tribute to the leadership of Makhdoom Amin Fahim, who was the PPPP president, and said he remained committed to the party till his last breath. The meeting observed one-minute silence for the departed soul.

They said the CEC discussed the Rangers powers issue and it was decided that no-one should be “hurt”. It observed that the tense situation would weaken the provinces.

The PPP leaders said the prime minister himself had said that the Sindh chief minister would be the captain of the operation and the province had been assured that it would be taken into confidence.

They expressed the hope that during his coming visit to Karachi on Dec 28 the prime minister would revive the reconciliation policy agreed upon by him and Benazir Bhutto under the Charter of Democracy.

Answering a question, Raja Ashraf stressed the need for a dialogue between the centre and the Sindh government to settle the Rangers’ issue.

The PPP leaders said their party strongly supported the National Action Plan and referred to Asif Ali Zardari’s stand over it.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2015