RAWALPINDI: Groupings emerged among the leaders of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Rawalpindi chapter over holding of a protest against the increase in petroleum prices as the party’s general secretary defied the decision of the president to postpone a scheduled rally.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had directed all the local chapters to stage protest demonstrations on Sunday but the Rawalpindi president Babar Jadoon canceled the protest after the death of Divisional President Sardar Saleem’s mother.

However, PPP Rawalpindi General Secretary Iftikhar Chaudhry held a protest demonstration at Liaquat Bagh with a few workers just to defy the decision of Mr Jadoon.

After this, the PPP workers asked the party leadership to take action against the local leaders for creating confusion among them.

Local chapter’s general secretary holds rally defying decision by the president to postpone it

They said one of the groups had sent messages to the workers about the cancellation of the protest but the other asked them to join the rally.

Mohammad Shakil, a party worker from Khayaban-i-Sir Syed, said the local chapter was confused over the protest campaign against the government as the president canceled the event while the general secretary invited the workers to participate in it.

He said due to the rifts within the party, the workers refused to attend functions and protests organised by the party on any issue. “There is a need to appoint serious leaders to run the affairs of the party,” he said.

Mohammad Jamil from Dhoke Ratta said the workers were confused which invitation to accept, and most of them decided to not take the office-bearers seriously as there was no unity among them.

He said the party would not get any support of old workers in the near future if such confusion prevailed.

He said the party was being run by non-serious leaders who failed to make direct contacts with the workers.

When contacted, Mr Jadoon told Dawn that the party would take up the matter as about 50 to 60 people staged an unimpressive protest against the price hike creating embarrassment for the party.

He said after the death of the mother of Mr Saleem, the PPP had canceled the protest and announced to hold it on Thursday.

He said the workers had approached him asking for action against the office-bearers but he took up the issue with the party leadership. He said he was busy in making arrangements for the main public meeting on December 5 to celebrate the party’s foundation day at Parade Ground Islamabad.

When contacted, PPP Rawalpindi chapter General Secretary Iftikhar Chaudhry said he had staged the protest as it had been planned two days ago and all the workers participated in it.

“I was not aware of the cancellation of the protest. I did not know about the directions of the city president in this regard,” he said.

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2017