RAHIM YAR KHAN: Differences between the leadership and district organisation of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) were exposed on Sunday when all the district office-bearers of the party boycotted a meeting of its south Punjab president Mian Noor Muhammad Bhaba here on Sunday.

Chaudhry Jahanzeb, who had joined the PTI after 2013 elections after leaving the PPP, had invited Bhaba to his residence for a party meeting but only two leaders, namely Zafar Iqbal Warraich (former PML-Q state minister) and Asif Majeed (former PML-N leader), and a few persons came.

PTI district president Rana Raheel told Dawn the whole district organisation, including office-bearers of four tehsils, had boycotted the meeting because of some differences.

District information secretary Qamaruz Zaman Rana said the differences in the local cadres of the party appeared during the public meeting of Imran Khan at Rahim Yar Khan on Nov 9 last when only a few rich persons, who had recently joined the PTI were allowed to sit with Imran at the main stage and whole the district organisation was ignored.

He said Chaudhry Jahanzeb was made member of the Punjab central executive committee of the PTI but old workers were given a cold shoulder.

Qamar also alleged that Noor Bhaba had embezzled Rs4.5m funds the PTI central organisation had released for the Nov 9 rally while he used the money of the rich persons for the rally and adjusted them on the main stage as a reward. Bhaba had ignored the district organisation which was neither consulted nor taken into confidence, he added.

However, Asif Majeed said the differences in the parties were a routine matter while the allegations of embezzlement of party funds against Bhaba were baseless.

Noor Bhaba said the district president of the PTI could not prove the allegations of misuse of funds and he should raise the issue in his (Bhaba’s) presence.

Published in Dawn March 9th , 2015

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