PPP to 'merge' Zardari, Bilawal’s opposing stances

The PPP will merge both the contradictory positions of its co-chairman, former president Asif Ali Zardari, and its chairman, ex-foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, as one with the rationale that timely elections and uplifting the economy were both equally important for the country, a party leader, who attended the Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting on Thursday, told The Express Tribune.

However, he added that the party would not back down from its demand for announcing the date of the upcoming elections.

Zardari had given precedence to the stabilisation of economy over the elections while his son Bilawal called for holding polls at the earliest.

The party leader said that several issues ranging from the upcoming polls to the treatment being meted out to the PPP by the caretaker governments as well as the role of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for holding timely elections were discussed during the CEC meeting.

He added that the party would not back down from its demand for holding timely elections, and even if not within 90 days, the ECP should at least give a timeframe for conducting the polls.

The party leader said from his understanding of the meeting, Zardari’s position would be clarified with a plea that the economy of the country was equally important and that the two demands were not contradictory as was perceived by the media.

He, however, refused to disclose the decisions made by the party leadership during the CEC meeting.

He claimed that the party leadership would announce the decisions itself.

Given that Bilawal would brief the media himself about the CEC’s decision on Friday (today) and that another leg of the CEC meeting, according to the PPP, would be held on the same day – a development that was disputed by several other leaders – the party did not officially reveal the understanding reached during the huddle on Thursday.

Instead, both information secretaries of the party, Faisal Kareem Kundi and Shazia Marri, along with another PPP leader Shehzad Chema briefed the media about the ongoing discussion in meeting.

Mari said the CEC meeting was a continuity of the Aug 25 meeting of the committee.

She added that the financial situation and rising prices of essential commodities as well as electricity were discussed.

Marri said in the previous meeting, Chaudary Manzoor was appointed as the focal person to review the situation in the flood-hit areas of Sindh and engage with the caretaker provincial government.

She said that during the last CEC meeting, it was decided that the party would deliberate at length on the matter of elections after its delegation’s meeting with the ECP.

The former provincial minister said the PPP had placed its legal opinion on the elections before the ECP, and the latter’s response was shared with the CEC.

Marri termed President Dr Arif Alvi’s letter, wherein he had suggested a date for holding elections, as his latest attempt to create confusion. She continued that the party would formally announce its position on Friday (today).

To a question, Kundi and Marri lamented the role of the caretaker Sindh government for seizing its development funds – even those reserved for the flood-hit areas, claiming that they were being released unabated in other provinces.

Marri said the ECP’s decision of granting permission to the caretaker Sindh government of transferring and posting officers was beyond its mandate as law did not permit it.

Kundi confirmed that a show-cause notice had been served to Sardar Latif Khosa – for violating the party policy by defending PTI Chairman Imran Khan – and he had been given seven days to reply to it.

He said both Khosa and estranged party leader Aitzaz Ahsan were busy with farewell dinners organised for the outgoing chief justice of Pakistan.