LAHORE: The Punjab chapter of the Pakistan People’s Party has deferred its decision to lay siege to the residence of former party senator Aitzaz Ahsan citing by-polls as the reason behind the change of mind.

Acting president Rana Farooq Saeed told a press conference on Friday that Lahore-based members of the PPP Punjab executive council had adopted a resolution against the PPP ‘betrayer’, recommending his immediate expulsion from the party. He said the body had decided to besiege the Zaman Park residence of the ex-senator to register their protest against Mr Ahsan’s continuous support for PTI chairman Imran Khan’s style of politics and opposition to the policies of the PPP.

It demands that [the central leadership] accept the notifications issued by the presidents of Zone-158 and -163 of the party for the suspension of basic membership of Mr Ahsan “in view of the conspiracies hatched by Mr Ahsan against the party in the past and his violation of party discipline in the current situation”.

Rana Farooq said the unanimous resolution was being immediately forwarded to Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for earliest expulsion of the ‘betrayer’ from the party.

Hoping that the central leadership would take immediate action on the recommendation, he threatened that if the chairman and the CEC did not suspend membership of Mr Ahsan, the workers would besiege the residence of Mr Ahsan.

He said that they would not tolerate those who were fighting for Imran Khan, while sitting in the PPP and those defaming the party would be taken to task.

He alleged that Aitzaz Ahsan’s political career is full of opportunism and conflict and ‘double game’ of Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry’s driver would not be tolerated.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2022