Structural shifts: PPP bifurcates its Punjab chapter
“Makhdoom Shahabuddin has been appointed as the president of PPP Southern Punjab and Chaudhry Safdar Imtiaz Warraich as president of PPP Central Punjab,” said Qamar Zaman Kaira, spokesperson for the party and a member of the National Assembly.
Kaira made the announcement after a meeting of senior PPP leaders from Punjab was held at party headquarters in Bilawal House, Karachi on Friday. President Asif Ali Zardari chaired the meeting, which included Punjab Governor Sardar Latif Khosa, Senator Babar Awan, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, and PPP leader in the Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz, among others.
The move is likely to raise more than a few political eyebrows, especially since the ruling party has already announced earlier this year that it supports the creation of a separate province in Southern Punjab. Kaira, however, denied that the two were linked.
“This is totally an organisational issue,” he said. “Bifurcation of the party organisation does not lead to the creation of a new province.”
The lawmaker claimed that the creation of two separate divisions in the PPP was not new and that the party had operated under a similar structure before as well, though he did not specify when. He added that Punjab was a big province and managing the party structure from one location was logistically challenging.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 5th, 2011.
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No, he's from Rahimyar Khan
Isn't Makhodoom Shahbudin from Sindh? How can he be the President of South Punjab. This is weird. I would also like to know when PPP talks about south Punjab, what does it really mean?
Ya ya ya! Bifurcating don't result in new province, all right. But party will be ready if it happens. It's understandable after so much work went into "new province" issue. Why not get ready? New province will bring more aggressive & dramatic political ambitions too. Small parties will have to struggle harder now. By the way, how have we decided the Saraiky Areas in other provinces will be sorted out?