RAWALPINDI: Almost half of the chairs remained empty, and the number of security officials and mediapersons exceeded the participants while a handful of local leaders were present on the stage at the public gathering of the PPP held to observe the 9th death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto in Liaquat Bagh on Tuesday.

Former PPP regional coordinator Raja Imran Ashraf had asked the party chapters of Islamabad, Murree, Gujar Khan, Taxila, Kahuta, Kotli Sattian and Kalar Syedan as well as Jhelum, Attock and Chakwal to bring rallies to Liaquat Bagh where Bhutto was assassinated on Dec 27, 2007. However, they did not bring any rally.

The PPP Islamabad chapter arranged separate functions at Aabpara and most of the workers belonging to the capital went there. “Due to the absence of local party chapters, different groups within the party could not work properly,” a senior PPP leader told Dawn.

Local chapters failed to bring people to the event despite directives of PPP Punjab president Qamar Zaman Kaira

He said that last week the former PPP regional coordinator chaired a meeting of the local chapters in Rawalpindi to collect donations for the arrangement of the public gathering.

He said Rs300,000 were collected from the local leaders, including Rs50,000 each from Raja Imran Ashraf and Rana Riffaqat, Rs25,000 from Babar Jadoon and Chaudhry Iftikhar. The other leaders contributed Rs10,000 and Rs5,000 and promised to bring more than 100 people each.

But the local leaders failed to mobilise people for the event despite directives of the PPP Punjab president Qamar Zaman Kaira.

When contacted, PPP Rawalpindi chapter former president Amir Fida Paracha admitted that fewer people turned up at the public gathering. However, he said the show was specific to the city.

He said it was the anniversary function so the traditional colour of the PPP was missing.

Nasir Mir, a former PPP nazim, said there was a need to revive the party in the city and the local leaders should end grouping for the larger interest of the party. “After seeing a lack of interest among the party workers and supporters at the death anniversary function of Bhutto in Liaquat Bagh, the party should bring forward better leadership in the city so that the workers would start taking interest in it again,” he said.

Raja Riaz, a party worker who lost his leg in the December 27, 2007, terror attack, said the party should improve the contact between its leaders and workers.

“After Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, the party workers, especially in Rawalpindi, feel letdown as the local leaders did not give importance to them.”

He said the workers and supporters avoided attending functions arranged by the local leaders as they did nothing for the activists when the party was in power.

Meanwhile, speaking on the occasion, Raja Imran Ashraf said the party was united under the leadership of Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto.

He said the workers were ready to launch any movement against the PML-N government in the centre and Punjab. He said the days of the PML-N government were numbered and if the PPP workers took to the streets the government would face difficulties.

Amir Fida Paracha said the PPP would implement the programme of development given by Bhutto to bring a socio-economic change in the country.

He said the workers should answer to the propaganda against Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Asif Ali Zardari. He said political parties should stop the propaganda against the PPP and its leaders.

Other speakers, including People’s Youth Organisation leaders, criticised at media for not giving proper coverage to the PPP and its leaders. Some local leaders also lashed out at the PTI and its chairman Imran Khan.

The PPP also organised a Quran khwani and offered fateha for Ms Bhutto and all those who lost their lives in the terror attack nine years ago.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2016