Wah cantt - The cracks start appearing in Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Taxila and Wah chapters, as different groups have surfaced ahead of upcoming local government elections.
Although different local pressure groups as well as mainstream political parties, including ruling PML-N, have started flexing their muscles in order to secure victory against one another in the upcoming local government elections, as local leaders are busy round the clock in electioneering, yet on the other hand PPP, which has strong and intact vote bank, is nowhere in political arena. The party knights instead of preparing for LG polls are indulged into party politics and are conspiring against one another which is causing serious dent to the party vote bank.
This state of affairs is not only frustrating the diehard political workers who are looking to join other political parties or groups but is also weakening the party.
Different political parties, especially PTI, is luring the loyal and diehard PPP workers and PTI local MNA Ghulam Sarwar Khan along with his younger brother MPA Sadeeq Khan is using ‘caste card’ to catch the frustrating party workers which would play key role on balloting day.
Due to internal strife, cracks in party ranks, less-interested office-bearers and no mega show of power, the PPP was nowhere during the local government polls in the cantonment boards which were held on April 25. The political observers predict if the issued have not been resolved, the party would face the same fate in LB polls. Despite the fact that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has kicked off his party’s campaign for local bodies elections, the party has so far failed to arrange show of power for the LB polls in the area.
As the political temperature is heating up with each passing day, almost all local pressure groups and political parties have started reorganising their activists here to prepare them for the next elections; however, workers of Pakistan People’s Party are in low spirit and their internal differences may lead the party to face an embarrassing situation in the upcoming local bodies polls, according to insiders.
They said that like recently held cantonment board elections in Taxila and Wah, PPP is likely to face a defeat in the upcoming LB elections if it fails to devise an effective strategy for reorganising its vote bank. According to them, the trend of nominating office-bearers against the will of workers had badly affected PPP in the area which was dubbed in the past as “mini Larkana.”
The level of disorganisation in PPP can be judged from the fact that son of its president of Taxila chapter contested recently held cantonment board elections on the ticket of PML-Q and acting president also contested elections on the ticket of the same party.
The PPP ticket holder for PP-8 in 2008 elections, Amir Iqbal Khan also complained against the leadership for not remembering the sacrifices of workers. “The complaints are generated in a day or two. During the past five years, the party leadership has not paid any heed to the problems of workers and they have no other option but to raise voice for their rights and protection of party,” said Khan. He said the present president of Taxila chapter has been grabbing the slot since 1980s. He has failed to bring the party into mainstream despite holding key slot, he further alleged. He said that the real workers are pushed behind and those who came from backdoors are awarded tickets during elections. He said if frustration among workers is not removed, other political parties, especially PTI, will attract them.
He said that leadership should introduce democratic culture and reforms to reorganise the party on solid footings. He said despite strong reservations, he is loyal to the party but if the party does not give him due weighting in upcoming LG polls, he would say goodbye to the party.
PSF President Basim But while commenting on the party politics said that due to internal rifts, the party failed to steal the show in recently held cantonment board elections.
Riaz Rathore, another PPP worker and nephew of former AJK PM, said “We have always raised voice for reorganisation of the party and intra-party elections, but the leadership is reluctant to accept our demands for unknown reasons.”