Zardari to remove apprehensions about Khosa

Zardari will take PPP Punjab members into confidence over the appointment the governor.

LAHORE: President Asif Ali Zardari, in his meeting with Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Punjab members today, will take them into confidence over the appointment of Sardar Latif Khan Khosa as the Punjab Governor, said PPP MPAs on condition of anonymity.

The MPAs told The Express Tribune that party workers were annoyed with the president’s choice of governor for two reasons: he isn’t a party jiyala (loyalist) and because of the reconciliatory tone he has taken with the PML-N. “Many refused to meet Khosa because of these reasons. Since we weren’t cooperating with him, he asked the president to intervene,” said one.

A central Punjab MPA said, “I will tell the president that Punjab needs a more aggressive governor.”

He remarked that Khosa’s meek attitude towards PML-N will harm PPP’s image in the Punjab. “Some PML-Q members joke that PPP’s policy has been coming from Raiwind,” he added.

PPP coordinator for Punjab, Naveed Chaudhry, said that the president besides removing apprehensions about Khosa will also discuss the party’s position in the Punjab. He said with local elections round the corner the party needed to evolve an effective strategy.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 2^nd, 2011.