KARACHI: The leadership of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is facing a dilemma over the induction of politician Irfanullah Marwat, who was once accused of raping a party worker and putting women leaders of the party behind bars while serving as the provincial home minister.
The party supremo, Asif Ali Zardari, recently decided to include Marwat, an electable but disreputable turncoat, in the party.
Marwat, who was the son-in-law of the former Pakistani President Ghulam Ishaq Khan, draws his political strength on ethnic support from a constituency in Karachi. While in the PPP he was accused of raping Veena Hayat, a PPP supporter and the daughter of a feudal chieftain. Marwat was also criticised by PPP activists when he sent Shahla Raza, the present deputy speaker of the Sindh assembly, and the former deputy speaker Raheela Tiwana, to jail for political reasons.
The decision to re-induct Marwat into the party was strongly opposed and contested by Assefa Bhutto and Bakhtawar Bhutto, daughters of Zardari, who minced no words in condemning Marwat. The sisters took to social media to highlight his past atrocities against party workers and his reputation of being anti-feminist.
“Sick man should be rotting in a jail cell somewhere not coming anywhere near #PPP,” Bakhtwar tweeted from her account.
“Party that was led by a woman will not tolerate such ppl,” she added.
During a press conference, PPP spokesman Maula Baksh Chandio refrained to comment on Marwat’s status in the party, saying he did not know about his re-induction into the party.
“I respect the views of Asifa and Bakhtwar, but I will not comment on the issue unless the party takes any decision about Marwat,” he replied to the press queries.
The PPP spokesman further said that he would let the media know about the party decision regarding Marwat.
Marwat won the 2002 general elections on a Muslim League faction ticket, but lost last elections, though he had the support of PPP. Zardari, the co-chairman of PPP, and his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, have been trying to woo electable politicians into the party to contest next year’s general elections.
