ISLAMABAD: Amid rumours that PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s chief spokesman Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar has quit the party in protest against some decisions taken from the platform of the Pakistan Democratic Movement, informed sources confirmed to Dawn on Friday that Mr Khokhar was “unhappy” and “uncomfortable” with the party leadership for quite some days.

According to a PPP leader, Mr Khokhar has not tendered his resignation and is attending party meetings, “but I have found him alienated and reticent”.

While almost all important PPP leaders are in Lahore ahead of the PDM’s plan to hold a rally on Sunday, Mr Khokhar preferred not to go there.

The sources said that Mr Khokhar had also left a WhatsApp group (media monitor) that the party had created prior to 2018 general elections.

The last party meeting Senator Khokhar had attended was on Wednesday. Mr Bhutto-Zardari had convened the meeting for consultation before leaving to attend a luncheon meeting hosted by PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. A participant of the meeting said Mr Khokhar was present at the meeting but was found to be reserved and silent throughout the proceedings.

Some claim that Mr Khokhar was angry over the PPP’s decision about resignations from the assemblies and party leadership’s back-channel contacts with the military establishment.

A senior PPP leader, however, told Dawn that such a move by the PPP chairman was out of question as the latter knows it would annoy many in the party and evoke a strong reaction.

However, he confirmed that Mr Khokhar was not happy. He also said this estrangement was not for the first time.

Mr Khokhar was not available for comment despite repeated attempts.

The sources said he was not even attending calls by some party leaders. The PPP media office in a press release denied reports of Mr Khokhar leaving the party or resigning as spokesman for the party chairman.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2020