Serious differences mar BB’s birthday

Serious differences have arisen in the Pakistan Peoples Party’s Nowshera chapter with Shaheed Benazir Bhutto’s birthday being celebrated independently at three different places.

During the former prime minister’s birthday celebrations, severe criticism and allegations were exchanged among the three distinct factions of PPP Nowshera.

Recently, the party’s district senior vice president Saleem Khokar had resigned from the four-member interim organization formed by the provincial president.

Rubina Khalid, the chairperson of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), meanwhile, expressed her anger at organizers after seeing only men and no women at Khattak Bagh.

On the occasion of the anniversary, separate programmes were organized at the Khattak Bagh, Speen Khak and Pir Sabaq areas. The party’s workers have demanded the immediate dissolution of the district-level transit organization, declaring it illegitimate.

Party sources told The Express Tribune that BB’s 71st birthday celebrations had been organized by three different factions of the PPP due to severe differences among them.

Rubina Khalid was a special guest at the birthday ceremony held at Khattak Bagh where a cake was cut. However, disorder arose at the site when the organizers showed their distress at slogans raised in support of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan in response to those chanted in favour of the potential prime ministership of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

The second anniversary ceremony was celebrated in the hujra of Haider Nawaz Khan Advocate, the provincial leader of the Peoples Lawyer Forum in the Spin Khak village of Dag Ismail Khail. This ceremony was addressed by PPP district leader Saeedullah Khan.