LAHORE: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Punjab would likely have a new leadership by next month.
It is expected because the five-member organising committee appointed by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto is set to submit its recommendations by August 30 to the chairman.
In April, Bilawal had appointed a committee comprising former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Rana Farooq Ahmad Khan, Nadeem Afzal Chan, Chaudhry Manzoor and Nadeem Kaira for re-organisation and recommending names for central Punjab president and general secretary, its divisions and districts within three months.
However, the committee could not complete the task within the stipulated period but now as the party is planning to take to the streets on Panama leaks issues, Bilawal had reportedly asked all organising committees in the country to complete the task at the earliest so that the new office-bearers could be appointed by September.
Manzoor said on Sunday, “We will submit our recommendations to the party chairman regarding appointment of new leadership of central Punjab on Aug 30.” The committee members plan to meet workers in Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Jhelum, Chakwal, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Khushab, Bhakkar and Mianwali this week before finalising the candidates. They will recommend at least three names for each slot.
To a question about the importance of office-bearers for launching a drive regarding Panamagate, Manzoor said, “Without office-bearers it is not easy for any party to show its street power.” When asked if it would be the exclusive right of organising committee members to recommend any name of their choice, he said the committee was seeking workers’ opinion through a pro forma that would help make recommendations.
PPP senior leader Naveed Chaudhry said that Bilawal was likely to announce the new leadership of Punjab by the mid of next month. “Workers are ready to take to the streets on the call of the chairman, however, under the supervision of office-bearers demonstrations are well organised,” he said.
A source in the party said that committee members Farooq and Chan were the potential candidates for central Punjab president. Qamar Zaman Kaira’s name was also doing the rounds for the position. For south Punjab, the organising committee comprising former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Makhdoom Ahmad Mahmood, Nawazish Ali and Hayat Muhammad Khan is also going to recommend names by the end of this month for south Punjab president, general secretary, divisional and district presidents and general secretaries after meeting workers in Vehari, Lodhran, Khanewal, Bahawalnagar and Bahawalpur.
Abdul Qadir Shaheen, a coordination committee member in the southern region, said that Makhdoom Ahmad Mahmood’s name has been finalised for south Punjab president as there was no other candidate for the slot in sight so far. Shaukat Basra is likely to be the general secretary in the region. For the Lahore president, the source says the names of Aslam Gill, Naveed Chaudhry, Faisal Mir and Auranzeb Burki are being considered.
