PESHAWAR: The provincial chapter of Pakistan People’s Party is in a state of confusion about supporting the tripartite alliance of opposition parties as its provincial president Senator Khanzada Khan has withdrawn his support from it while provincial vice president Najamuddin Khan has planned to host a meeting of the alliance at his residence in Hayatabad on Monday (today).

A source privy to PPP provincial president told Dawn that Khanzada Khan would meet party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in the evening on Monday at Bilawal House, Karachi. He will be accompanied by provincial general secretary Eng Mohammad Humanyun Khan and secretary information Liaquat Shabab.

On the same day, PPP former provincial president Syed Zahir Ali Shah along with his sister Senator Robina Khalid will also hold a separate meeting with Mr Bilawal. They will talk to the party chairman to devise a plan for reorganisation of PPP in the province.

After defeat of the party in the May 30 local government elections, PPP provincial president dissociated himself from the tripartite alliance, alleging that Awami National Party didn’t vote for PPP’s candidates in the polls.

Leader admits internal rift in the party

However, PPP provincial vice president Najamuddin Khan will host a meeting of the tripartite alliance at his Hayatabad resident today. “I have the instructions from the party co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari to support the tripartite alliance and I will continue cooperation with it unless he forbids me,” Najamuddin Khan told Dawn.

He said that PPP central executive committee in a meeting in Islamabad had taken the decision to be a part of the alliance and he had received no fresh instructions from the high command in that regard.

It is to be mentioned here that PPP former provincial president Syed Zahir Ali Shah has already announced dissociation from the alliance, saying that basic reason of the PPP’s defeat in the local government elections was its alliance with ANP.

However, in reaction to his statement, the party had issued him show cause notice for opposing the alliance.

Mr Shah was initially in favour of forming alliance with Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf but other leaders of the party opposed him.

However, PPP joined hands with PTI to form district government in Mardan.

PPP leader PPP Zahir Shah Turo, when contacted, said that the party was facing internal rift and it needed immediate attention of chairman Bilawal Bhutto. He suggested some major changes in the party’s structure by taking ‘popular’ decisions.

He said that provincial president of the party violated a decision of the central committee by stopping cooperation with the tripartite alliance.

The provincial president could not be approached by telephone.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2015

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