LAHORE: PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has summoned party’s central Punjab president Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo in Karachi to explain as to why the party stalwarts are quitting.

Taking notice of former ministers Samsam Bokhari and Ashraf Sohna and others’ joining the Imran Khan’s PTI, Bilawal Bhutto asked Wattoo to see him at Bilawal House Karachi on Thursday (today).

Both Sohna and Bokhari hail from Okara, the district of Wattoo. Sohna has held Wattoo responsible for situation prompting him to quit, while Bokhari said the PPP had no future as it had become the ‘B Team’ of the PML-N.

Former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Qamar Zaman Kaira, ex-Punjab governor Makhdoom Ahmad Mahmood and Tanvir Ashraf Kaira also have been summoned to Karachi.

Bilawal springs into action after defections

“Finally, Mr Bilawal seems to have realised what is happening in Punjab. He must look into the affairs of the party here before it is completely eroded,” a PPP Punjab senior leader told Dawn.

He said it was the beginning as more PPP leaders from other districts of Punjab were weighing their option to join the PTI before the local polls. He said the party leaders and workers in Punjab were feeling frustrated.

“The PPP Punjab feels ‘orphaned’ as neither Zardari nor Bilawal is taking interest in its affairs,” he said.

Differences among several main leaders in Punjab is said to be another reason behind quitting of some leaders. “Several leaders including two former PPP Punjab presidents, PPP Lahore chapter top office-bearer and a stalwart from Kasur and some leaders in Lahore too have differences with Wattoo,” he said, adding that Mr Zardari had played no role in ending their differences and rather he asked everyone (in the PPP Punjab) that “if they want to join the PTI he would not stop them”.

“This attitude will only encourage the disgruntled leaders to quit the PPP,” he said.

Navid Chaudhry, Zardari’s coordinator in Punjab, told Dawn that those leaving the PPP camp to join the PTI were “opportunists”. “These leaders are making lame excuses to quit the PPP. They -- Sohna and Bokhari -- enjoyed ministries during the PPP’s last tenure and now they are finding faults with the leadership,” he said.

“Workers are with the PPP and Mr Bilawal knows how to run the party. This a party of a liberal and progressive thought and it will have no impact on the departure of so-called electables,” Navid Chaudry said.

Manzoor Wattoo said: “I will brief Bilawal Bhutto on the organisation of the party in Punjab of all tiers, forthcoming local elections in the province, performance of the party candidates in the bye-elections held in Nankana and Mandi Bahauddin.”

Wattoo said he would also tell the chairman about reasons behind those who had quit the party. He said these leaders were not quitting because of him.

Interestingly, Wattoo earlier claimed that Samsam Bokhari had reiterated his commitment to the party and its leadership in a talk with him.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play