PESHAWAR: Keeping in view the general elections of 2018, the political parties have stepped up their activities in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. However, some of them are still facing internal rifts and organisational uncertainty.

Pakistan Muslim League-Q is perhaps the most unfortunate party which has lost most of its office-bearers to other parties. Its provincial president (now former) Mohammad Intikhab Chamkani advocate has recently joined Jamaat-i-Islami along with some other colleagues, and its Peshawar district president and (former candidate for PK-7), Azmat Khan Daudzai joined hands with Amir Muqam in Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

Awami National Party, JI and Qaumi Watan Party are carrying out their activities in routine and their leaders are busy to raise their respective vote bank in different districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

However, despite having sizeable vote bank in the province the Pakistan Peoples Party and PML-N are facing hindrances mainly due to cold response from their top leadership. Both the parties have sincere workers, but the leaders are avoiding finalising organisational units.

It was observed that many leaders from various parties joined PML-N through Mr Muqam, but leaders of the other faction, led by provincial president Pir Sabir Shah, were not seen in the joining functions at the press club and other places.

Mr Shah has announced workers conventions across the province, but the activists are unclear as to who will be the next provincial president.

Also, there are rumours that Iqbal Zafar Jhagra will be adjusted somewhere else and Mr Shah will be given the governor’s seat in order to give a safe passage to Mr Muqam to become the party’s provincial president.

Mr Shah could not be approached on phone for comments. However, one of his close aides Abdul Sattar Khalil, Peshawar district president, confirmed having such information.

“We are supporting Pir Sahib as provincial president and he will take us into confidence before taking any decision in this regard. In case anyone is made provincial president against our will then the provincial council will strongly resist it,” he said.

Mr Khalil said that there were 525 members of the provincial council and most of them belonged to the Sabir Shah camp. “We will move court if the council was bypassed in nomination of the president,” he warned and added that the party had announced workers conventions from March 5 in the province. He revealed that Mr Shah also enjoyed the support of former governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan because the people of Hazara division would not like to lose the top seat.

However, PML-N provincial secretary information Nasir Khan Musazai told this correspondent that Mr Muqam deserved to become provincial president because he was playing an active role in bringing effective leaders from rival parties into the PML-N folds.

Mr Musazai objected to the idea of workers conventions, saying that meetings of our activists would be of no use unless new faces are brought to the party. “Credit goes to Mr Muqam who brought many people to PML-N and is still busy expanding the party in the province and Fata,” he said.

He said that Mr Shah served the party as provincial president for many years, but failed to find winning candidates even in Peshawar and thus he should step down to let Mr Muqam strengthen the party ahead of 2018 elections.

Similarly, the PPP leadership announced the party’s provincial cabinet in KP, but office-bearers for various divisions and districts are yet to be named.

Candidates for various posts/offices are anxiously waiting for a response from the top leadership and many of them in a state of disappointment parted ways with the party and joined rival parties recently.

Some stalwarts said that in case the top leadership did not change the policy the party could not be reorganised on solid grounds and thus it would face a serious setback in future.

The provincial leaders are avoiding commenting on the prevailing situation.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2017