PESHAWAR, May 6: The newly nominated provincial president of the PPP, Rahimdad Khan, expressed optimism on Thursday that the party would soon re-emerge as a popular political force.

He was speaking at a news conference here at the Peshawar Press Club after presiding over a meeting of the party office-bearers. The provincial PPP leader said that a large number of the party activists, who had been 'forced by the anti-people elements hidden in the upper ranks' to quit in the past, were ready to join it again.

He said that differences between his predecessor Khwaja Mohammad Khan Hoti and the party MPAs, who did not vote for the PPP nominees during the Senate elections, were over.

Mr Rahimdad Khan praised Mr Hoti for the services he had rendered for the party. He hoped that Mr Hoti would help strengthen the party in the province. He denied that PPP office-bearers had tendered resignation in some of the districts.

He said that PPP Peshawar division president Syed Qamar Abbas, who had been replaced with Zahir Ali Shah, would be vested with new responsibilities soon. The meeting through a resolution had asked chairperson Benazir Bhutto to induct Mr Abbas into the central body, he added.

He said a meeting of the party's provincial council had been convened on May 16 to seek suggestions from councillors on organizational matters. He said such meetings would also be held at the district level.

Mr Rahimdad Khan said the PPP had a comprehensive socio-economic programme which it could not implement in the country owing to the dismissal of its governments. The PPP, he pledged, would implement its manifesto in letter and in spirit if it came to power.

He was confident that the PPP would emerge winner if elections were held in a fair, free and transparent manner. He said the ruling class had always manoeuvred elections to protect what he called the outdated present system.

Referring to the wheat crisis, he alleged that some of the PML-Q leaders had made million thus leaving the general public on the mercy of the wheat mafia. Other PPP leaders were also present on the occasion.