Bilawal gives PPP one week for electoral preparations

Maryam continues with countrywide party conventions

LAHORE:

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who is in Lahore for another two days, has instructed his party leadership to complete preparations for elections in the province by next week.

One the other hand, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) de facto head Maryam Nawaz continues with countrywide party conventions.

According to PPP Central Punjab, Bilawal will hold consultative meetings with the party leaders in the wake of the Supreme Court (SC) decision regarding elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). These consultations will be done regarding electoral preparations.

PPP Central Punjab Acting Chairman Rana Farooq Saeed, who met the chairman on Wednesday, said that Bilawal was on a private trip to Lahore to attend a function. He said that the chairman has ordered them to complete their preparations for elections within a week. He also said that the chairman was of the view that the party should be fully prepared for elections in the province.

Farooq said that on Thursday evening, they will brief the PPP leader and Bilawal’s aunt Faryal Talpur regarding party preparations via zoom. He added that next week, they will give a presentation to the chairman on the matter.

The provincial leader said that from next week onwards, the party is expected to give known leaders of the party a go-ahead, to begin their electoral campaign. He said that so far, the understanding is that party will contest elections without any seat adjustment, however, the final decision rests with the party’s senior leadership.

PML-N, the party at the country’s helm, on the other hand, was still trying to live in denial by interpreting an unambiguous apex order in a manner that defies logic. Resultingly, it has not shown any urgency to complete its electoral preparations.

PML-N’s senior vice president, effectively the de facto head, Maryam, was continuing with the countrywide party conventions. Her next party convention would be held in Gujranwala on March 3, then Sheikhpura on March 7, then Peshawar on March 15, Lahore on March 19, then Quetta on March 23, and finally in Karachi on March 27.

According to the party, this convention drive should be seen as the start of their electoral campaign.

According to a former provincial minister, apart from a handful of party leaders, not many were aware of any election campaign. He said that according to his knowledge, the party was yet to start its preparations for the election campaign in Punjab. He also said that Maryam’s tour was more for the party’s reorganisation and reinvigorating its rank and file.

He further said that her activities would indirectly aid in election preparations, but it in itself cannot be construed as appropriate preparation for elections.

According to former Punjab chief minister Hamza Shehbaz’s personal staffer, the senior PML-N leader would be returning to Pakistan in another week or so.

Talking on the condition of anonymity, he said that Hamza, upon his arrival, will join Maryam in the party conventions. He also said that Maryam and Hamza would lead the election campaign together.

It is pertinent to mention here that Hamza’s return was expected in January and then in February to lead the party. The claims earlier made by the party leaders have not materialised yet, thus casting doubt over the claims being made this time around.

Another important aspect of the oncoming elections in Punjab and K-P is the expected return of party supremo Nawaz Sharif. Party leaders in recent weeks made it abundantly clear that the three-time former prime minister would lead the election campaign personally and return immediately after the election date is announced.

So far, the party has not announced any date for his return to the country.