PESHAWAR: PakistanPeoples Party, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,has launchedits electioncampaign fromNA-8,Malakand, the constituency from where party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari would contest the election, with the slogan that he would become prime minister. However, in many constituencies in the province the party has been facing internal differences which could affect its campaign.

A group of senior leaders from parts of the province with Peshawar’s former nazim Azam Afridi as focal person has been assigned the duty to reach every nook and corner of the constituency to lure workers of the opponent parties and ensure success of the PPP chief.

The victory of Bilawal would be a matter of honour for the party’s provincial chapter as its provincial president Mohammad Humayun Khan and former MPA Mohammad Ali Shah Bacha are also contesting from PK-18, Malakand-1, and PK-19, Malakand-II, respectively.

Azam Afridi sure of Bilawal’s success from NA-8

Though the PPP workers call the area mini Larkana, its provincial president had lost the election during 2013 elections. Ali Shah Bacha had won the election from his constituency in 2008. His younger brother Ahmad Ali Shah Bacha is district nazim of Malakand, who also belongs to PPP.

However, the party’s actual position could be judged after withdrawal of candidates as some of the PPP activists are still in the field to contest the election from PK-18 who could create problems for the party nominees.

The party is facing differences in many other constituencies, especially in Mardan, Dera Ismail Khan and Peshawar.

“We have launched the campaignfromfar-flung and backward areas of the constituency, including Khanori, Dheri and Naraji, where many workers of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and other political parties joined PPP,” Azam Afridi told this correspondent on phone.

He claimed that Mr Bilawal’s success from NA-8 was sure as the rival candidates were weak, saying that their competitors would be PTI nominees. He said that the PPP workers had changed the campaign strategy and were holding corner meetings in the evenings.

Mohammad Ali Shah said that it was their good luck that Mr Bilawal would represent them in the National Assembly. He claimed the party candidates would win with a big margin.

Nawaz Khattak, a candidate from PK-73, Peshawar, told Dawn that the party’s parliamentary board and district organisation had approved his name as candidate from the constituency, but all of a sudden the ticket was given to Yaseen Khalil who had been expelled by PTI under charges of corruption.

“I will not withdraw my nomination papers and will contest the election at all costs. I appeared for the interview and the parliamentary board approved my name then what happened that the ticket was given to a person who joined PPP for the sake of ticket only,” he asked. He said that home constituency of Mr Khalil was PK-74, Peshawar-IX, but it was given to Arbab Zarak, son of Arbab Alamgir, who even did not appear before the parliamentary board.

Mr Khattak complained that the party’s provincial president was also not attending his phone calls in this regard, saying that in the prevailing situation PPP would badly suffer in the election.

Another candidate belonging to Mardan told this correspondent that serious differences existed over distribution of tickets, but most of the aspirant candidates were silent and waiting for June 30 with the hope that their rivals in the party would withdraw to give them chance.

“We will play our role in the election once the leadership finalises names of the candidates on June 30,” the candidate said.

The senior people of PPP Peshawar city have also said that the party would face problems in the election campaign if workers’ reservations are not addressed.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2018