ISLAMABAD, May 19: The top leadership of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is unhappy with Deputy Information Secretary of the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) Munir Ahmed Khan for addressing a press conference in which he accused President Gen Pervez Musharraf of favouritism, sources told Dawn on Thursday.

The sources said party chairperson Benazir Bhutto had taken a note of the violation of party discipline by Mr Khan by arranging a press conference in Lahore without prior permission of the party.

It may be mentioned that in his press conference on May 16, Mr Khan had announced that he had sent a reference to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) seeking action against Gen Pervez Musharraf on charges of misusing his powers to benefit his relatives.

The sources said the PPP leadership was also critical of Mr Khan for filing the reference without referring it to the party’s coordination committee. They said no member of the party could file any reference or case against any ruling party member or the president without prior approval of the committee and Ms Bhutto.

The sources said Ms Bhutto had directed the party’s central leaders to seek an explanation from Mr Khan on the issues.

When contacted, Mr Khan said he had only sent copies of a news report, appeared on a web-based US weekly, to the NAB and other government institutions regarding “misuse of powers” by Gen Musharraf in awarding a contract to one of relatives for launching a magnetic levitation commercial train service in Karachi.

Sources in the party said no disciplinary action against Mr Khan was expected, as he had not filed any formal reference against Gen Musharraf or any of his relatives. However, they said Mr Khan had been warned against any such move in future.

Our reporter adds: Chairperson of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Benazir Bhutto has criticized the regime for auctioning fisheries rights to deny fishermen their traditional trade.

In a statement on Thursday, Ms Bhutto said arresting fishermen who were protesting the seizure of their fishing rights was adding insult to injury. The PPP chairperson deplored the anti-people policies being followed since the dismissal of the PPP government.

She said systematically vested interests were exploiting the poor and underprivileged and usurping their economic rights. She said plight of the tenants in Okara and other military farms as well as plight of the coastal fishermen and retrenchment of the labour class were some examples of how dictatorship was hurting the rights of the people.

Ms Bhutto said the PPP leaders, like Yousuf Raza Gillani, Bismillah Kakar and Pir Mukkaram, were in prison while other leaders were in exile because of their commitment to a federal, democratic and egalitarian Pakistan.