LAHORE: The PPP is planning to instill young blood into the party ranks beginning with induction of Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari as chairperson of its youth wing.

The younger daughter of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto has already exhibited her political abilities in her first formal public appearance at the Multan rally of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) last month. She is being prepared for playing a more active role in the Peoples Youth Organisation, a senior party official told Dawn here on Friday.

The official claims that former PPP general secretary the late Jehangir Badr’s son Ali Badr, ex-federal minister late Ahmed Mukhtar’s son are also being given important responsibilities in the youth wing in the coming months.

Likewise, new faces are going to be introduced in Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapters of the wing, he adds.

In the meantime, PYO Central Punjab president Zohaib Butt has tendered his resignation in protest against the provincial leadership for not arranging any meeting of the wing’s office-bearers with Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

Mr Butt, in his resignation letter, said that not a single meeting of the wing’s office-bearers with the chairman could be arranged during the last three years despite many requests made to the Punjab leadership as “owning capital has become the only standard in Punjab PPP”.

He told Dawn by phone that he had raised the issue with the chairman who had promised to sort out the matter but nothing happened, leaving no option for him but to resign.

PPP General Secretary Nayyar Hussain Bukhari has accepted the resignation.

Meanwhile, Mr Bhutto-Zardari is reaching Lahore Saturday (today) to attend the wedding of former Punjab governor Latif Khosa’s daughter on Sunday (tomorrow).

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2020