RAWALPINDI: Though the opposition parties have asked their workers to get ready for possible agitation against the PTI government, it seems things might not be easy for the PML-N in the district this time, especially in the downtown constituencies, due to differences within the party rank.

The opposition parties have started their homework in the twin cities, which would be the host cities for any movement, however a formal announcement in this regard will be made after an all-parties conference.

PML-N is facing difficulties in gathering all local leaders in Rawalpindi due to their internal differences, especially after the elevation of two candidates of the 2018 elections from Rawalpindi to the party’s provincial organisation.

Opposition parties have asked their workers to get ready for agitation; PPP local chapter to meet in Islamabad on 10th

Hanif Abbasi was appointed the senior vice president while Engineer Qamarul Islam the vice president PML-N Punjab.

This has not gone down well with some local leaders and old party workers.

In the 2018 elections, Mr Abbasi, who was a PML-N candidate from Rawalpindi, was handed life sentence in the ephedrine quota case by an anti-narcotics court. But on April 10, the Lahore High Court suspended the sentence.

Qamarul Islam was contesting elections on the PML-N ticket against former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan but the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested him in a case during the election campaign and released him on bail after the polls.

The local PML-N leaders are of the view that the two leaders were elevated for their loyalty to the party. They had been convicted in old cases for raising voice for the party and Nawaz Sharif.

But at the same time, they said, the party ignored those old workers who had sacrificed a lot during Pervez Musharraf’s regime.

“The workers wanted to give these leaders tickets in the next elections and make old workers, who served the party from 1985 to 2019, office-bearers,” a senior PML-N leader told Dawn.

He said if the party wanted to launch a movement against the government, it should accommodate old party workers at the organisational level.

He said in democratic parties, old workers were accommodated in the party’s organisational setup while the main leaders were given tickets for elections.

“Workers are mostly not able to contest elections due to the hefty expenditure incurred during the polls but they can be accommodated in the party’s local organisations,” he said.

He said PML-N leaders in the district were not happy with the move and have yet to mobilise the workers.

The party leader said before the start of any movement, the party should warm up its workers through membership drives or reformation of local organisations.

He said the party also failed to cash in on the situation after the PTI-led Punjab government dissolved local governments.

“Though all the union council chairmen wanted to launch a movement the party adopted a wait-and-see policy,” he said.

Another local leader told Dawn that in the past 34 years, Chaudhry Nisar had run the affairs of Rawalpindi division and appointed party’s office-bearers. After he was sidelined by the party leadership, the local leaders wanted to get offices in the party’s organisational setup.

When approached, former PML-N MNA Malik Shakil Awan said the party had asked its workers to get ready for a possible movement against the government as people were fed up with the rising inflation and bad governance.

However, he said, the party would launch the movement after ending differences among party leaders and workers.

He said the workers wanted to get support from the party to deal with any political victimisation by the government.

Former MNA Malik Abrar said the party had started preparing for a movement against the government.

“We will go to Kot Lakhpat Jail to meet former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in a day or two and get directives from him,” he said.

On the other hand, PPP Rawalpindi chapter has started warming up its workers to launch an expected movement against the government.

“The PPP has called a meeting of all its organisations on June 10 in Islamabad to discuss a plan for the expected movement,” PPP Rawalpindi President Babar Jadoon told Dawn.

He said people were ready to come to the streets as they were fed up with the PTI government which had failed to deliver.

He said due to rising inflation, unemployment and bad governance, the citizens were waiting for agitation against the government.

Mr Jadoon said the party had asked the Rawalpindi chapter to complete its homework to bring people to the streets soon after the announcement of the all-parties conference.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2019