Senior workers ignored by PPP in NA's standing committees elections

Preference given to an influential group of party members

KARACHI: As elections for the chairmanship of National Assembly standing committees came to a conclusion, many veteran Pakistan People's Party (PPP) members learned that they have been ignored by the party leadership.

Instead, preference was given to an influential group of party members who were elected to oversee departments wherein they had no experience or expertise.

The current move has exposed the troubled internal matters of the party in relation to the election of members and chairmen of standing committees.

PPP sources revealed that influential groups within the party made a lot of efforts to influence the nominations and chairmanship of major standing committees, thereby ignoring the basic principles of fairness and merit.

To begin with, Amir Ali Khan Magsi was awarded chairmanship of the standing committee for maritime affairs even though he does not have a background in the subject, whereas members of the National Assembly who were elected from three coastal districts of Sindh were not considered for the position.

Similarly, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's name was not considered for the chairmanship of the standing committee on external affairs – a move which aligned with the strategy agreed upon by PTI, PML-N and other parties, per sources.

PPP members were initially supposed to assume the chairmanship of six standing committees of the National Assembly under the agreement among parliamentary parties in the National Assembly. The party gave all most of its chairmanships to nominees from Punjab and FATA.

PPP's Makhdoom Syed Mustafa Mehmood was awarded the chairmanship of the standing committee on privatisation, whereas Sajid Hussain Turi became the chairman of the standing committee on industries.

Sources further said that PPP's top leadership decided that some former federal ministers and the National Assembly members with relatives appointed in the Sindh Cabinet would not be given the opportunity to head standing committees in the National Assembly.

However, strong recommendations provided by the influential group, together with mounting pressure, compelled the party leadership to change its decisions.

Further explaining the decisions, sources revealed that Amir Magsi – who hails from the influential Magsi family of Shahdadkot – was initially chosen as a member of the standing committee for maritime affairs. However, a top party leader from Sukkur recommended Magsi's name for the position of chairman at the eleventh hour, which was then accepted by other leaders.

PPP has also ignored the former member of the said standing committee, Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah, along with other members belonging to the coastal districts of Badin, Malir and Karachi West for the chairmanship. Owing to their expertise and experience in maritime affairs, the members have become very upset with their undue exclusion.

Other PPP members, including Jam Abdul Karim Bijar and Abdul Qadir Patel, who are related to the coastal and maritime affairs, have been nominated as members of the maritime affairs standing committee, while Agha Rafiullah has been unexpectedly excluded.

PPP's senior member Syed Naveed Qamar has been made the chairman of standing committee related to commerce and textile despite the fact that his son Qasim Naveed is part of the Sindh Cabinet in the role of special assistant to the chief minister of Sindh.

On the other hand, the party did not consider Makhdoom Jamiluz Zaman, Naveed Dero, Nafisa Shah, and Nauman Islam Sheikh because they have relatives in the Sindh cabinet as well as designations in the party.

PPP's MNAs elected from Hyderabad and Larkana divisions, as well as members holding special seats, expressed their surprise over the nominations of members and chairmen of the standing committees, saying that the decisions made by the party leadership were changed by an influential group. They added that the decisions were influenced by nepotism and a select few were given preference over deserving members.

Sources also said that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari initially nominated some female MNAs for the chairmanship of standing committees but eventually, not a single female member was chosen. The decision goes against the party manifesto which strongly emphasises the promotion of equal rights for women.

Dismayed with the decisions as well as the prevalent discriminatory practices within the party, many PPP members have lodged their complaints and have decided to register their grievances with party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari upon his return to the country.