LAHORE: In a handwritten letter from Kot Lakhpat jail on Monday, incarcerated vice chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that a new PPP was in the making, with the shift of its leadership from the Bhuttos to the Zardaris.

Mr Qureshi, who quit the PPP over a decade ago, said Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had succeeded Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto.

“This change is also reflected in the faces representing and speaking for the new PPP,” the PTI vice chairman said, adding that Sharjeel Memon was the new face while faces like Aitzaz Ahsan, Raza Rabbani, Farhat­ullah Babar and Taj Haider moved to the back benches.

“The change is clearly visible in the policies and the approach of the party too… The romance is almost over, as Jeeay Bhutto today in fact is Jeeay Zardari,” he said.

PTI leader says ‘political engineers’ working day & night to give final touches to new party

Mr Qureshi said the PPP that evolved consensus over the 1973 Constitution had comfortably voted for “undermining judiciary’s independence and the concept of trichotomy of powers”. He said the PPP that always upheld freedom of speech also voted for amendments to Peca Act, 2016.

Criticising the PPP for compromising on its core values, the PTI vice chairman said the voice for social democracy had turned into support for hybrid democracy.

He believed this shift had led to a decline in PPP’s popularity, with the party losing touch with its traditional supporters. “The Bhutto’s vision has been replaced by Zardari’s pragmatism. Bhutto lovers in the party are on the decline and Zardari admirers are on the rise,” he said.

He asserted that the political engineers were working round-the-clock to give final touches to the new PPP, though Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab sensed the change and distanced themselves from the party in 2013 and 2018.

“The two-coloured PTI flag has replaced the tri-coloured flag of PPP in KP and Punjab,” he said, adding that the PTI flag was also fluttering in urban Karachi and with the construction of six new canals over river Indus under the stewardship of the Presidency, the thirst for change in rural Sindh would only increase.

Meanwhile, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) recorded testimonies of four witnesses in a case against Mr Qureshi and other PTI leaders over provocative speeches and attacks at Sherpao Bridge during the May 9 riots.

Judge Arshad Javed conducted the hearing inside Kot Lakhpat jail where the prosecution presented its witnesses.

In all, statements of 22 witnesses have been recorded in the case till date.

The judge directed the prosecution to present more witnesses on Feb 6.

Wajih Ahmad Sheikh also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2025