With senior Punjab party members jumping ship yet again, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari vowed that he would personally visit every district and constituency in Punjab and other provinces to resolve grievances of party leaders, workers.
While presiding over a meeting of PPP’s leaders from Punjab at Bilawal House in Karachi yesterday, Bilawal expressed his unhappiness over recent events where senior PPP leaders including Samsam Bukhari, Ashraf Sonha along with a few PPP office bearers of Okara who had became turn coats only to join the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf. A party that typically welcomes turncoats from other parties with open arms.
The meeting was attended by Former Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, PPP Punjab president Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo, former Governor and president PPP south Punjab Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood, former federal information minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, Senator Sherry Rehman, former information minister Firdous Ashiq Awan, Nadeem Afzal Chan, Tanveer Ashraf Kaira, Shaukat Basra.
The meeting mainly discussed PPP’s declining graph in Punjab and the reason behind departure of senior leaders, re-organisation of the party and upcoming local government elections.
“Please try to woo the estranged party leaders and workers who are our assets,” Bilawal said.
This was the first party meeting by Bilawal where his father, former president and PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, was absent.
Sources in the party said that Bilawal was concerned about re-organising the party ahead of the upcoming local government elections.
“I will soon visit Punjab and devise a strategy with you on how to re-organise the party at gross root level.” Claimed Bilawal.
In a surprise move, the PPP chairman made a surprise visit to Lyari, a longstanding stronghold of the party in Karachi. He visited the residence of Sindh Minister Javed Nagori and condoled the death of his brother Akbar Nagori who was gunned down by terrorists in May.
This was Bilawal’s first visit to Lyari after the general elections when he had visited mazar of a saint in the area.