GUJRAT: The Pakistan People’s Party has been accused of ignoring the old loyalists in the district in its effort to give a new look to the party, and introducing “moneyed class devoid of ideology”, an allegation vehemently denied by the provincial leaders.

The local PPP workers are of the view that the only criteria for inducting new leaders seems to be their financial status. They apprehend that such choices might dash their hopes of the party’s revival in Punjab, especially Gujrat district.

To substantiate their view, they use the instance of Pagganwala family that had been standing by the party through thick and thin for over four decades, but is totally ignored in new scheme of things.

As per the announcement made by the party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Zia Mohiuddin and Dr Zahid Zaheer have been made the PPP Gujrat district president and general secretary, respectively.

Mr Mohiuddin, who owns the biggest banquet hall in the area located near Kharian Cantonment along the GT Road, has replaced former MNA Sameena Fakhar Pagganwala as the district president. Dr Zaheer had earlier served as the PPP’s district secretary general for at least five years since November 2011.

The new Gujrat president is a first cousin to the PPP Punjab president and former federal minister Qamar Zaman Kaira whose elder brother Tahir Zaman Kaira had also served as the district president from 2006 to 2014 in Gujrat.

Abdul Razzaq Saleemi, a diehard PPP worker who had been district head of People’s Students Federation (PSF), People’s Youth Organisation (PYO) and information secretary of Gujrat PPP, says the party ignored his lifelong services and commitment by not even including his name in the list recommended by the five-member organising committee to the central leadership.

He said hardcore workers like Inam Elahi Butt, a former Gujrat Tehsil president, Ghulam Abbas Malhi, a former opposition leader in Gujrat Tehsil Council were also not considered for any party office. He alleged the “new PPP” might need “ATM machines” instead of a genuine workers.

It is learnt that Ms Sameena Fakhar Pagganwala lodged a strong protest with party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari at a meeting in Islamabad a few weeks ago for not being included even in the recommended list.

A PPP worker Mian Irshad said the party should have brought forward diehard workers for the top slots in Gujrat if it wanted revival before 2018.

Fakhar Pagganwala, a former district secretary general said his spouse Ms Sameena had telephoned the new district president and assured him of her family’s cooperation for the party cause.

However, Nadeem Asghar Kaira, a members of the PPP’s organising committee for central Punjab dispelled the impression. He said Mr Mohiuddin was made president due to his political profile and commitment to the party.

He said he did not recommend even a single name for the district offices to avoid allegation of favouritism.

He said the party chairman had made Dewan Shamim Akhtar, a former district president of Mandi Bahauddin, Gujranwala division’s president which showed priority was given to the hardcore workers. He, however, added that those who failed to perform in the past could not be accommodated.

Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2017