Intra-party polls: Kaira made PPP Punjab president

Bilawal announces names in party’s provincial coordination committee meeting

LAHORE: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has appointed Qamar Zaman Kaira as its central Punjab president in place of Manzoor Wattoo.

The decision was announced by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari through a notification issued on Friday. Nadeem Afzal Chan was made central Punjab secretary general. Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar is appointed as information secretary.

Kaira has served as federal minister for information during the last PPP government whereas Chan served as MNA from Sargodha. The decision was made and announced in a meeting of the PPP provincial coordination committee chaired by the party chairman.

In April, Bilawal had appointed a committee comprising 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.

Addressing the media after his appointment, Kaira thanked the party leadership for reposing confidence in him and said the PPP was a reality and it would re-emerge in Punjab with full vigour. He said they would try to restore other party offices at lower level.

Kaira said the PPP nominated him for the president after in-depth consultation with workers which was a tradition of the party. He confirmed that consultations for other party office-bearers in the province were under way.

Kaira said with the restoration of PPP’s party organisation in Punjab is enough to shut the mouths of critics who were claiming of wiping out the PPP.

He said they should be aware that traditions never died. PPP is a tradition it never can die. He said other parties emerged and with the passage of time vanished but the PPP is a reality and would exist for ever. He said tough times come in the way but traditions never die.

He said Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is continuing his responsibility in a democratic way and took this decision after deep consultation.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 19^th, 2016.