PESHAWAR: Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari is likely to visit parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa next week to hold meetings with the party’s newly-appointed office-bearers and give them suggestions concerning preparations for the next general elections.

During contacts with some senior PPP leaders it was learnt that despite announcing office-bearers at the provincial and divisional levels the issues of mistrust still prevailed among some leaders in different areas.

Differences have already surfaced in the party in some areas like Dera Ismail Khan and Charsadda. Workers in Karak, Kohat, Charsadda and Mardan are divided over the distribution of party offices and thus the reorganisation process in these districts has been delayed.

A senior PPP leader requesting anonymity told this scribe that Mr Zardari was expected to participate in the JUI conference, but he changed his plan due to some pressing engagements in Punjab and sent senior party leaders Mian Raza Rabbani and Khurshid Shah to represent him.

The source said that the main aim of Mr Zardari’s visit would be to encourage the new office-bearers to launch efforts for strengthening the party. It was learnt that the provincial cabinet was not cooperating with provincial president Mohammad Humayun Khan and he alone had to run the affairs.

The source said that most of the office-bearers were living in Islamabad and were least bothered to accompany the provincial president during his visits to different districts in the reorganisation process.

It was learnt that some people had also started meetings with the top leadership without taking the provincial president on board. The source said that Mr Zardari would stay at the residence of his political adviser , former provincial president Sardar Ali Khan, in Pabbi and he would issue necessary instructions for appointment of office-bearers of different sister organisations like Peoples Youth Organisation, Peoples Students Federation, Peoples Labour Bureau, Peoples Doctors Forum, Peoples Lawyers Forum and the women wing.

The source said that PPP was also in disarray in the tribal areas due to lack of organisational structure.

When contacted, provincial president Humayun Khan hoped that Mr Zardari would stay for some days in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and hold meetings with the party workers. He said that party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was also expected to address a public meeting in Mardan soon.

About the fresh differences in some districts, the provincial president said that all the issues would be resolved amicably soon. He said that he was optimistic that PPP would soon regain strong position in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and win the future elections.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2017