KARACHI: For unexplained reasons, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari apologised to his party’s estranged workers on Sunday and appealed to them to reconsider their decision to join other parties.

He said that being a democratic party the PPP welcomed differences of opinion, adding that the best way for workers was to attend party meetings and strive for bringing about changes they wanted and put the country on the road to progress and prosperity.

In an open letter to supporters, Bilawal Bhutto conceded that mistakes had been committed in the past and pledged to correct them to regain workers’ trust.

Know more: Bilawal to contest 2018 elections from Benazir's home constituency

But he did not spell out what mistakes the party had made which called for an apology or the differences of opinion expressed by some workers.

“To those who have been with the PPP but now feel let down, first of all allow me to apologise personally for letting you down. We do not claim to be perfect; we acknowledge that mistakes have been made in the past and are committed to rectifying them and regaining your trust.

“In the interim period, if you are considering to switch over to another political party, please act discreetly. Do not punish Pakistan or its democracy for my shortcomings. Please do not support undemocratic party or a party appeasing extremists. Pakistan has rightwing parties which support dictatorship and appease the TTP. If you are frustrated with the party, I would suggest to you ways to legitimately practise opposition politics.

“The PPP is a democratic party and welcomes internal dissent. The best way to influence the PPP’s policy is to join us and bring about changes in the party and in the country from within. If party policy is unacceptable to you and you are considering to join another party, I would suggest you to join pro-democracy and pro-people political parties.

“The PPP welcomes and encourages other leftwing parties to join the political process. In fact, if a former sympathiser desires to attend a political event, I would suggest to him to attend the AWP Congress in Islamabad.

“No-one can claim to have once supported Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto or Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto but can now support dictatorship or extremism. I look forward to regaining your trust and also proving that the PPP is the only party that can build a peaceful, prosperous and progressive Pakistan. Jeay Bhutto, Pakistan Zindabad.”

Published in Dawn, September 29th , 2014