PESHAWAR: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has once again started pondering over holding intra-party elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to remove unrest and differences among the party workers.

Keeping in view the growing differences among the party activists and formation of parallel organisations in different districts, the central leadership of PPP had formed a committee to hold meetings with the disgruntled activists to remove rift in the party.

Also read: PPP to hold intra-party elections in KP

In this connection an extra-ordinary meeting of PPP was held at the residence of its provincial general secretary Mohammad Humayun Khan here on Wednesday with provincial president Khanzada Khan in the chair.

PPP leaders and office bearers of different levels and sister organisations attended the meeting and discussed various issues. Senator Farhatullah Babar and member of PPP central executive committee Aurangzeb Barki participated in the meeting as special guests and got suggestions from the participants for removal of differences among the party workers.

“The party has decided to remove the differences to make preparations for local government elections as Imran Khan has announced local government elections in November 2014,” PPP secretary information Liaquat Shabab told this correspondent after the meeting.

Committee holding meetings with activists to end rift in party

He said that situation in the country was indicating possibility of midterm elections. “Leader of opposition Syed Khurshid Shah has also asked the prime minister to take a decision by himself to overcome the crisis,” he added.

Mr Shabab said that the meeting discussed different issues including PPP public meeting of Oct 18 in Karachi, local government elections and possibility of midterm elections in the country. The participants of the meeting decided to take effective steps for removal of differences in the party, he added. The meeting decided to participate in the 18 Oct public meeting in Karachi.

Mr Shabab said that the committee members would apprise the central leadership of the suggestions of the meeting and whatever decision was taken by PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari would be implemented in the province.

However, he said that it was not a suitable time for the intra-party elections because it was a lengthy process and needed much time. “For the purpose basic requirement is the process of membership, preparation of voter list which is not possible because there is possibility of midterm and local government elections,” the PPP leader said.

The meeting was also attended by PPP former provincial president Rahimdad Khan, former speaker of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Kiramatullah Khan Chagharmatti, Eng Mohammad Humayun Khan, Arbab Alamgir Khan, Sher Azam Wazir, Qalb-i- Hassan, Samad Khan, Shuja Khan and Faisal Karim Kundi.

Sources said that Mr Barki contacted PPP annoyed activists and sought their opinion in that regard but they avoided answering till taking all the likeminded people into confidence.

“We have no personal ego and our entire struggle is for strengthening of PPP but some people are bent upon damaging the party for their personal gains which is not acceptable to anyone,” said Syed Ayub Shah, leader of the disgruntled workers, when contacted for comments.

He appreciated the party’s leadership for taking notice of the differences among workers and said that its only solution was intra-party elections. “We will hold a meeting to take all the workers into confidence and respond to the three-member committee led by Senator Farhatullah Babar,” Mr Shah said.

He said that the workers were not ready to accept corrupt people as their leaders. He said that they would continue struggle for intra-party elections to promote democratic system and implement the party’s manifesto in its real sense.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd , 2014