PPP insiders decry Kundi's action

Discontent brews within PPP over 'establishment-driven optics'

LAHORE:

Senior PPP leaders expressed deep disappointment over Governor K-P Faisal Kareem Kundi's attempt to obstruct the resignation process of outgoing Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, warning that such undemocratic manoeuvres - in pursuit of "establishment-driven objectives" - were damaging the party's credibility.

"We were once seen as flag bearers of democracy in Pakistan, but today we are seen as just another pawn on the establishment's chessboard," a senior party figure said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

He pointed out that Governor Kundi initially stalled the process by objecting to a "computer-typed resignation", and when Gandapur submitted a handwritten letter to avoid further complications, "there came the issue of two resignation letters and then of questionable signatures".

"If this was not enough, the governor then used the excuse of his unavailability and non-working days," he added.

"We were once taken to be the custodians of law and human rights, and for us to make such a mockery of it was a soul-shattering experience for those who have seen Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's days in the party," he remarked.

He said that even within internal meetings, party members joked about the "bizarre episode", though many privately worried about how such antics made the party look before its constituents. "Governor Kundi trying to stall the resignation was nothing out of the ordinary, but the crass and near-juvenile manner in which it was done made the entire party lose its face," he said.

"We understand that the party was only following lines given by the great director of this great reality show that this dispensation is," he continued, "but before doing so, the party should at least have done its homework regarding the tall and, in hindsight, bogus claims of toppling the PTI government."

Another relatively younger party leader, while acknowledging internal unease, offered a more pragmatic view. "The reality remains that constitutional law and human rights are now subjects of the party's manifesto. In reality, there are other considerations," he said.

He added that the party did not want to fall out of the establishment's favour. "There is a lot that is expected to go in our favour," he claimed, suggesting that the PPP was "at the cusp of forming a government in AJK".

"This craven act by the governor of K-P might have reflected poorly on the party, but the boons of remaining in good books far outweighed the fleeting stigma of our present decision-making."

Senior party leader Qamar Zaman Kaira, speaking to The Express Tribune, admitted that the "oath controversy was in bad taste and ideally it should not have happened".