In wake of Panama Leaks, the top leadership of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has finally appointed top leaders in the party with comparatively clean image and the appointments of Farhatullah Babar and Nayyar Bokhari as secretaries general of Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) and PPP respectively have been made with the same game plan.
A well-placed source in the PPP told Pakistan Today that the party’s top leadership had made up its mind to appoint clean politicians and this is the reason that Maula Bakhsh Chandio and Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed had been appointed secretaries information of the PPPP and PPP respectively.
Moreover, the source added, with the new elections of the party, former president Asif Ali Zardari has tightened his grip over the party’s parliamentary force while he has tasked his energetic son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari with organising the party at the grassroots level – a daunting and uphill task.
The source said that the party’s leadership has decided that no tainted politician would now be given major party office and rather faces with comparatively clean image would be tasked to take the party ahead.
“For the time being, the biggest challenge for the PPP is from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and not from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) whose leadership is faced with a major issue in wake of Panama Leaks. So it is about time to revive the PPP’s image and hence all party faces being given lead roles would be clean,” the source added.
Elaborating, the source said that Raja Pervez Ashraf was facing around a dozen references in the National Accountability (NAB) courts under corruption charges. Hence, Ashraf has been relieved of his responsibilities as PPPP secretary-general.
“However, his brother, Imran Ashraf may be appointed as party’s president for Rawalpindi Division to accommodate Pervez Ashraf,” the source said.
The source added that PPP secretary-general Sardar Latif Khosa had also been replaced and now he is also being given a backseat. Asked why Khosa had been replaced, the source said that Khosa had become controversial after pleading the cases of Ayan Ali and hence he had been relieved.
“Another reason for Khosa’s replacement was that he had failed to organise the party. He was always reluctant to spend money for the party and always pretended to be busy with court cases. Hence, he would now only plead cases for the party now,” the source added.
When asked how could the party be revived while the most tainted person, Asif Zardari, had even tightened his grip over the parliamentary politics by getting him elected as PPPP president, the PPP leader agreed to the notion and said this question was still being asked by most party leaders within the party circles.
The source said that the party’s Punjab leaders had been planning to again launch a campaign within the party to jointly convince senior Zardari to take a backseat and allow Bilawal to take the party to the mainstream.
“The senior party leaders, led by Senator Aitzaz Ahsan, believe no artificial changes would make any difference if the party is being led by Asif Zardari. The party leaders planning to raise this issue initially with Bilawal and later with Asif Zardari,” the source added.
‘They are also against the lead role of Faryal Talpur who attends every meeting. Ms Beelum is likely to be appointed the party’s president of women’s wing. However, a faction of party is opposing her nomination.
