LAHORE: PPP Punjab President Raja Pervaiz Ashraf says he has taken upon himself to form the government of the party in the province in the next elections.

“It’s my mission now to form the PPP government in Punjab and no one will be able to check the rise of the party in the province,” he told party workers on his first visit to the provincial capital after being nominated chief here on Tuesday.

“None should think that the party doesn’t understand politicking,” he said, pledging to mobilise the workers who had long gone into dormancy. “The PPP flag will be hoisted again on the rooftop of the houses where it used to be [a decade or so ago].”

The former prime minister announced running the party chapter in consultation with the workers, urging the jiyalas to forge unity among their ranks.

Welcoming the new leadership, former provincial president Qamar Zaman Kaira said he was happy that chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had nominated a towering figure for the office.

Newly-appointed general secretary Hassan Murtaza and information secretary Shahzad Cheema said they would not do ‘drawing-room politics’ and announced holding a general council meeting at Mochi Gate soon and launching a formal movement against price-hike and unemployment.

Earlier, Mr Ashraf was given a warm welcome when he reached Thokar Niaz Beg from Islamabad. He was taken to Gaddafi Stadium on Ferozepur Road in a caravan and from there to the party’s provincial secretariat at Model Town.

Chaudhry Aslam Gill, Usman Malik, Samina Khalid Ghurki, Sadaqat Sherwani, Chaudry Akhtar, Faisal Mir, Arshad Jutt, Amer Butt, Rana Yousaf and Aslam Garha were prominent among those who received him.

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2021