With the Pakistan Peoples’ Party-Parliamentarians (PPPP) virtually limited to Sindh, cracks have started emerging within its ranks and the party’s members of the Senate have started mulling future strategy in face of fast-changing situation.
At present, the PPP is the largest party with 39 members in the 104-member Upper House, while the PML-N has 15 senators and the JUI-F seven.
Well-placed sources confided in Pakistan Today that around 11 high-profile senators had gathered at a luncheon hosted by Senator Adnan Khan to discuss future course of action, since they were feeling disenchanted due to the apathy of the party’s top leadership.
“It was only a meeting of likeminded party colleagues and we had gathered to share the feelings of each other and to discuss future strategy. No forward bloc has been formed yet and all such stories running around in the capital are mere rumours,” said Senator Khan.
A source, however, claimed that Senator Waqar Ahmed Khan, Senator Saifullah Khan Bangash, and some heavyweight senators from PPP Punjab and Sindh had also attended the lunch. The source claimed that six senators from FATA had also attended the lunch and they had extended their full support to the group.
The source said the lawmakers expressed their disappointment over the role played by PPP co-chairman President Asif Zardari and the mysterious absence of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari from the political arena. They decided to meet again soon after consulting some other PPP leaders and members of parliament to evolve a joint strategy to deal with the situation.
“Look, the country is facing a disastrous situation. We can’t sit idle for the next five long years. We would have to play our role as the situation demands,” the source said.
Haji Saifullah Khan Bangash was elected on a general seat from KP on PPP ticket and he would serve until year 2017. Senator Adnan Khan was elected to the Senate on PPP ticket for technocrats in year 2009. He would serve until 2015. Senator Waqar was also re-elected from PPP and he would serve until 2015.
