PESHAWAR: Disgruntled leaders and workers of the Pakistan People’s Party have welcomed Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s announcement about intra-party elections and expressed the hope that it would help strengthen the party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In a joint statement here on Saturday, former provincial information secretary Khwaja Yawar Naseer, former MPA Ayub Shah, former Peshawar district president Azam Afridi and other PPP leaders, including Tahir Abbas, Misbahuddin, Israr Khan Nahqai and Ijaz Khan Yusufzai, said intra-party elections was a longstanding demand of workers.

“The announcement has rejuvenated workers and they are ready to visit every nook and corner of the province to mobilise disgruntled workers in order to reorganise the party,” Naseer told Dawn.

Naseer said annoyed workers didn’t need anything and that they had always raised voice against the nomination of incompetent people for key party positions.

Say move to help strengthen party in province

He said during the last government, some ministers had accumulated wealth and ignored workers altogether leading to the party’s destruction in the province.

The former PPP information secretary said the party workers expected that the leadership would ensure implementation of the party’s manifesto in line with the thoughts of founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

“We do not have any personal clash with the current office-bearers. Our only demand is intra-party elections to bring forth clean people,” he said.

Naseer said the committee formed to contact annoyed workers would visit all districts to strengthen Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s hands.

SHEIKH RASHID FLAYED: PPP provincial general secretary Mohammad Humayun Khan on Saturday criticised Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmad for his remarks against party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

“Sheikh Rashid should hold his tongue otherwise we, PPP workers, know very well how to teach him a lesson,” Hamayun said in a statement here.

The PPP leader said the provocative speech of Sheikh Rashid had hurt the sentiments of the PPP workers and therefore, he should apologise for it.

He said the people knew well that the Awami Muslim League chief had changed political loyalty many times for own interests.

“Sheikh Rashid should avoid uttering words against our leadership in future,” he said.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2014