Who can steer PPP out of crisis?

Chitral Today (chitraltoday.com)

ISLAMABAD, April 12, 2011: Leg-pulling and wrangling continue in the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chitral about nomination of its office-bearers. For the last many decades, the PPP has been in disarray in Chitral mainly due to lack of leadership and groupings among its cadres.

This was the reason the PPP lost its vote bank in Chitral which was once considered to be its stronghold. It was also due to lack of leadership that candidates for the National Assembly seat were imported from Larkana and Karachi.

Political observers say a group of myopic people have hijacked the party at the district level and due to their self-interest and infighting; energetic, educated and sincere people commanding people’s confidence and political influence remained on the back burner - always discouraged to come forward and steer the party out of the crisis.

They referred to reaction of the local PPP leadership to the announcement of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) MNA Shahzada Mohiuddin to join the party in Aug 2008.

"The local leaders of the PPP saw their political demise in Mr Mohiuddin’s joining the PPP and they launched a campaign from the district as well as the provincial level saying the 'PPP has no room for any prince.'”

This was despite the fact the Mr Mohiuddin was not interested to stand candidate for the posts of PPP’s district president or the secretary general, said the observers.

The MNA said PPP workers and activists in Chitral had welcomed his decision to join the party. He said he had strong vote bank in the valley and since 1985 he had been elected twice chairman district council, once district nazim and four time member National Assembly.

“The area has also been a stronghold of the PPP but due to lack of leadership the party has been losing ground and my joining of the party would have strengthened it at the grassroots level,” he added.

Shahzada Mohiuddin that said during a meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani in Aug 2008, he had been requested to join and support the PPP. On this, Mr Mohiuddin said he had agreed to join the PPP and nominate his son Khalid Pervez to lead the party at the district level till the defection clause in the constitution was changed. However, he said, it did not go well with the so-called PPP leaders in Chitral who started a campaign against his joining the party.

He said it would be an insult for him to approach the local PPP leaders and the party’s provincial president Zahir Shah for getting their consent before joining the party. He said he had strong political support in Chitral and had nominated his son to lead the party of Pervez Musharraf and challenge his opponents in the coming election.--chitraltoday.com