KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has constituted a disciplinary committee to investigate misconduct, violation of party decisions and indiscipline in the local government elections in Sindh.

Former chief minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah will head the committee with Jam Mehtab Hussain Dehar and Ijaz Jakhrani as its members.

The committee, according to insiders, has been constituted to investigate the reports of violations of the party decisions by councillors of local bodies in the elections of chairman and vice chairman of the municipal committees in the interior of Sindh, where certain PPP councillors revolted against the award of tickets to candidates against their aspirations with the result that the nominated candidates were defeated bringing bad name to the party.

Two such cases were reported from Matli and Tando Adam.

In Matli, a dissident group who claimed to have the support of 12 PPP councillors revolted against the award of party ticket to Tanzeela Qambrani for the seat of Matli municipality chairperson.

Abdur Rauf Nizamani, who claimed to have the support of 12 of the total 19 councillors, resisted the decision. According to him, she was not a consensus candidate of any group. Ms Qambrani, who was elected on the reserved seat of the councillor, reportedly was backed by MNA Sardar Kamal Khan Chang and MPA Basheer Ahmed Halepoto.

In the local government elections, the dissident Nizamani was elected defeating the PPP nominee Ms Qambrani. The PPP conveyed to the ECP that Mr Nizamani had violated the party discipline by defying its leadership’s directive to support and vote for Ms Qambrani who were given the party tickets. It has cited relevant election rules to be applied in its case.

Responding to the PPP application, the ECP has asked Mr Nizamani and a dozen other councillors to appear before it on Oct 6 in Islamabad.

Similarly in Tando Adam taluka of Sanghar district, the PPP faced defeat from the Awami Ittehad candidates for chairman and vice chairman of municipal committee with the support of PPP’s splinter group. The Dero group, which had nine of the 22 votes, sided with the alliance.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2016