ISLAMABAD: A clear division between senior leaders of the Pakistan Peoples Party over the government’s talks with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is having a trickle-down effect on the lower cadres of the party, with Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Syed Khurshid Shah, bearing the brunt of this stark difference of opinion.

Sources in the PPP told Dawn that a majority of the party legislators and leaders were unhappy over the two speeches delivered recently by Mr Shah in the assembly on the issues of talks with the Taliban and a controversial anti-terror ordinance.

According to the sources, during an informal gathering in the chamber of the Senate chairman, the PPP legislators expressed annoyance over the speech made by Mr Shah soon after the prime minister announced in the National Assembly on Jan 29 the formation of a four-member committee to hold talks with TTP.

The members told Mr Shah that his speech was not a true representative of their sentiments, citing a speech made by Dr Farooq Sattar of the MQM the same day. Mr Shah, the sources added, told his colleagues that whatever he had said was in line with the party’s policy.

Mr Shah, in his speech in the National Assembly, extended support to the government in its latest endeavour to hold talks with the Taliban through committees. Although Mr Shah had demanded a timeframe for the talks, he did not raise any question on the formation of the government team and only criticised the prime minister for taking too much time to form the committee.

“If you still feel after seven months (of the government) that the dialogue will be a better course, we have no objection,” Mr Shah had said and then added: “We are with you.”

On the other hand, Dr Sattar of the MQM, which usually supports the government, called the move a “sell-out of the blood of martyrs” that would give time to the militants to reorganise themselves.

Last month, during a discussion on political situation in the Senate, when a PML-N legislator drew the attention of the members towards different approaches of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Syed Khurshid Shah towards the present government, Senate Deputy Chairman and Zardari loyalist Sabir Ali Baloch categorically stated that Mr Shah’s statement could not be treated as party policy.