No plan of evicting Aitzaz from PPP, reveals insider

The senior jurist has himself put all speculations to rest

LAHORE:

With the initial tremors triggered by senior Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Aitzaz Ahsan’s statement having passed and the entire episode now in the rearview mirror by virtue of the unending cycle of news, a party officer-bearer conceded that the party had no plans of expelling its senior leader from its folds as was purported earlier.

Barrister Aitzaz, on the other hand, while addressing a press conference in Lahore a day earlier, also laid to rest rumors regarding any understanding reached with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and regarding him leaving PPP, saying that the party was like a family to him.

Earlier, the leadership of the party’s Central Punjab Lahore Chapter passed a resolution against Aitzaz, demanding from the Central Executive Committee (CEC) that his basic party membership be suspended for violating policy and discipline time and again.

The resolution was moved in the form of a letter jointly authored by two zonal presidents of Lahore and forwarded to the party's CEC for immediate action. The entire activity was said to have been undertaken on the direct instructions of the Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari.

Party leaders from central Punjab then presented the entire episode as the initiation of the party procedure for the eviction of Barrister Aitzaz.

To give credence to this impression, PPP Central Punjab Acting President Rana Farooq on Friday, while addressing a press conference, even warned of laying siege to Aitzaz’s residence if his membership was not suspended till Sunday.

Later, another message was floated to the media to cover PPP’s protest outside his residence. However, the next day, the protest was called off on the pretext of the by-elections being held that day.

Even post that, central Punjab kept their act up, keeping an aggressive stance against Aitzaz who they described as the reneging leader. It was even alleged that Aitzaz had secretly joined PTI and was its candidate for the premiership.

Interestingly, central Punjab has given a protest call for Sunday, to push the party to expel Aitzaz from its folds.

An insider on the condition of anonymity said that the entire purpose of the exercise of publicly calling out Aitzaz was primarily to defuse the tension caused by his statement and secondly to give a message to certain quarters that Atizaz’s view did not reflect leadership’s view and for the party to save the face of its coalition partner, who the senior leader has been defacing incessantly.

He said that to his knowledge the party never had any plan of evicting Aitzaz.

Aitzaz, in his press conference, said there is a gang who in one breath claims that he should be evicted from the party and that he has secretly reached an understanding with PTI, to become their nominee for an interim PM. He said that he does not approve of this intolerant culture whereby political difference is responded to in Rana Sanaullah’s manner (uncouth manner).

He termed Imran Khan a friend and a neighbour but termed PPP his family.

Regarding a statement given by Farooq, his party’s acting central Punjab president, he said that it was beneath him to respond to things alleged by Rana. Regarding the comment of Khawaja Asif, he said that he does not take him seriously.

A day prior to Atizaz’s press conference, Farooq had said that Imran had assured Aitzaz that he would be the caretaker prime minister from PTI in case of the end of the current government in November.
He, citing a source, alleged there was an audio recording of Imran and Aitzaz about making Aitzaz the prime minister. He had said that the PPP workers should thwart the conspiracies of Aitzaz and Imran against the federal government.

Farooq had warned that PPP workers would hold a protest on Mall Road on October 23 against Aitzaz’s hostile attitude towards the party.

A senior PPP leader from Punjab, talking on the condition of anonymity, said that the party has not instructed them to hold any press conference against Atizaz. He said that Aitzaz was CEC’s member, and it was their prerogative to decide about his future.

Statements given by leaders in Punjab were distasteful and condemnable, he added.