ISLAMABAD: A committee formed by the PPP last month to look into causes of the party’s poor performance in the recently-held by-elections in Punjab and local government polls in two other provinces has failed to complete its task by the Nov 30 deadline.

Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khurshid Shah had announced the formation of the committee on Oct 14 and said that on the basis of the committee’s report, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari would announce the party’s new strategy in his speech on the party’s foundation day on Nov 30.

PPP leaders Aitzaz Ahsan, Farhatullah Babar, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Sherry Rehman, Nadeem Afzal Chan and Akhunzada Chatan comprised the committee which was to submit its report within six weeks.

Also read: PPP committee to determine causes of poll defeat

Mr Bilawal did address a public meeting held in Karachi on Monday as part of the party’s campaign for LB polls in Sindh, following cancellation of its traditional gathering on the foundation day in Lahore.

The committee was formed three days after the party’s worst defeat in by-elections for the National Assembly constituencies of Lahore and Okara and one Punjab Assembly seat from Lahore. The by-elections turned out to be a contest between the PML-N and the PTI and security deposits of the PPP candidates were confiscated.

The PPP also suffered defeat in local government elections in cantonment areas as well as in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

When contacted, PPP’s Information Secretary Qamar Zaman Kaira first denied the existence of any such committee but then said it would start its work after local government elections were over.

“Of course, the committee will start its work after completion of the third phase of the local government elections,” he said.

Another member of the committee, Akhunzada Chatan, claimed that the committee had held two meetings. Since most of the members were busy in the second and third phases of LB polls in Punjab and Sindh, the committee could not meet on a regular basis, he added.

Published in Dawn, December 1st, 2015