PPP parliamentarians may be heading for split

The Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) could be heading for another split, party sources maintain, who admitted there is "some risk" of more MNAs and MPAs joining the PPPP-Patriots, the pro-government 'forward bloc' of the party, or forming a breakaway group of their own.

PPPP leader Senator Aitezaz Ahsan dismissed this as "speculation" and said "the party remains loyal and united."

Punjab party president Qasim Zia, facing considerable internal criticism following the spate of defections almost all of them from the Punjab, also held "the rumours of more factions being created are being deliberately spread by the military. There is no truth in this."

PPP leaders also said the "former party leaders, such as Ghulam Mustafa Khar, who recently made a comeback to PPP ranks, are also "creating mischief" to discredit the current leadership.

Khar's return to the party has been fiercely resisted by younger leaders, some say because they fear the charisma and organisational ability of a man known in the past as "the lion of the Punjab." Khar, who reportedly has the backing of Benazir Bhutto in his comeback bid, has denied he is creating "waves‚ in the party, and insisted the leaders were trying to cover up for their own shortcomings."

He reiterated that if the party was to remain united, "people need to see commitment to pro-poor policies and real leadership."

Several PPPP parliamentarians when contacted however expressed reservations about party leaders including Naheed Khan, Safdar Abbasi, Raja Pervez Ashraf and others who were in regular contact with Benazir Bhutto and complained about their fellow parliamentarians to her.

"Their self-centred policies have already forced PPPP National Assembly member (MNA) Zafar Warraich to resign. Almost 70 per cent of the MNAs belonging to the PPPP feel the same way," a PPPP parliamentarian said.

Most of the parliamentarians believed that they were not taken into confidence even on issues related to parliamentary proceedings.

"We are never asked to give our input on parliamentary affairs. A few frontline MNAs discuss issues in the House Business Advisory Committee meetings and always get their names registered for speeches. The same MNAs get their names registered whenever there are parliamentary trips abroad," another MNA said.

The MNA accused party leaders of "creating a coterie‚ which aimed to exclude most party representatives, as well as workers at all levels.

"You can imagine the party's policy of ignoring parliamentarians from the fact that without taking party members into confidence, PPPP President Makhdoom Amin Fahim has just visited Nenazir Bhutto after Warraich's resignation," an MNA said.

Party sources said after Warraich resigned in the National Assembly on March 9, MNAs at a parliamentary party meeting convened by Fahim not only supported Warraich's stance against the local leaders‚ attitude but also "saluted‚ him for taking such a step.

"Many MNAs including Safdar Warraich, Nabeel Gabol, Chaudhry Manzoor, Zamarud Khan, Syed Naveed Qamar, Hazar Khan Bijarani, Ghani Talpur and Qurban Ali Shah reiterated their commitment to the party."