In the wake of feeling of ‘ill-well and grievances’ the Awami National Party and Pakistan People’s Party coalition in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa might see setback in the upcoming general elections in the country.
Though the central and the provincial level leaders of both the parties attempt to remain on the same page for smooth sail together, the grievances popping up at the city district level in Peshawar and partially at Nowshera are pushing towards the parting of ways between the two parties.
The rift also expresses itself occasionally at the high ranks of the parties as the recent differences and the fight for power between Speaker Kiramat Ullah Khan and Deputy Speaker Khushdil Khan when Barrister Masud Kausar had to leave for Saudi Arabia was on its peak. In absence of Kirmat Ullah Khan (PPP), Khushdil Khan (ANP) had dissolved the Finance Committee.
However, the speaker later ordered reversal of all decisions made by the deputy speaker in his absence. It appeared that Kirmat Ullah Khan was reluctant to vacate the office for Khushdil Khan during Barrister Masud Kausar’s visit to Saudi Arabia. Well placed sources within KP’s PPP informed that most of the workers besides having grievances against ANP ministries for not ‘cooperating’ with them also believe that ANP’s weaknesses would also have negative fallout for the PPP in the upcoming elections.
PPP workers and some slot of leadership in Peshawar are more vocal about having reservations about coalition with ANP and believe that PPP workers were being pushed aside in trivial matters. Keeping these developments in view ANP Provincial Information Secretary Arbab Tahir told Pakistan Today that there was no denying the fact that PPP and ANP were different parties with different manifestos but there was harmony between the two at the provincial and federal level.
However, he said, that alliance with the PPP in the upcoming elections was a decision that the ANP still had to make. Peshawar PPP President Ayub Shah, when contacted, said all the party level meetings of PPP at local and central level were critical of coalition with ANP. He said there was a unanimous opinion that the option of not making an alliance with ANP in the upcoming elections should not be closed.
He said the PPP was a big political party and ANP was its main rival in KP and the level of cooperation between the two was “not that good” since the ANP was sidelining PPP’s members.
