LAHORE - Naheed Khan, ex-political secretary to Benazir Bhutto on Wednesday announced forming a new political party with the nomenclature of Pakistan Peoples Party Workers.
At a workers’ convention held here at Aiwan-e-Iqbal, she got her husband, Dr Safdar Abbasi elected as first president of the newly formed party through a resolution endorsed by party activists attending the moot. Earlier, the estranged couple had founded a political forum under the name of Shaheed Bhutto Benazir Workers Movement parting ways with their parent party. Talking to The Nation, Dr Safdar Abbasi said that they would register their party with the Election Commission of Pakistan very soon. “We needed a political forum to initiate political activities and to contest the coming elections on this platform”, he said.
Earlier, addressing the convention, the couple declared themselves as true heir to the legacy of party founder Z.A Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto. “No body should dare confront the real heir to the Bhuttos”, Naheed warned, adding that she would continue to struggle for revival of their parent party, the PPP, by liberating it from the clutches of usurpers.
She also extended conditional support to Bilawal Bhutto if he pledged to adopt the political path followed by his maternal grandfather and mother. Naheed also remarked that Bilawal was son of Shaheed Mohtarma and she loved him. The couple grilled Asif Ali Zardari for what they called harming the party and reducing it to a provincial party. “He is now hiding behind his son instead of facing the angry party workers”, said Naheed Khan. She further stated that PPP was symbol of federation. “If we are to save the federation, we would have to save the PPP”, she averred.
Sajida Mir, Sardar Hur Bokhari, Gen (R) Ahsan Ahmad, Ibne Rizvi Nasir Khattak and Waqas Ahmad also addressed the convention. Zardari bashing was the hallmark of their speeches.