Divided we fall: PPP’s president in Sukkur leaves post

He claims members of the party conspired against him in the elections.

SUKKUR: The candidate of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) for PS-1, Sukkur-I, Haji Anwar Mahar, has resigned from his post as the president of the party’s Sukkur chapter, allegedly because of his differences with MNA Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah.

Mahar, who lost the current elections to Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s candidate, Saleem Bandhani, won the seat for PS-2, Sukkur-II twice. In the current elections, he was given the ticket for PS-1, Sukkur, instead of PS-2. Former MPA Dr Nasrullah Baloch, who won the elections for PS-1 twice, was offended by the party’s decision to award the ticket for PS-1 to Mahar. He contested the current elections as an independent candidate and lost.

“I am loyal to PPP and will continue to remain loyal,” Mahar told The Express Tribune. “It was the party’s decision to give me the ticket for PS-1 instead of Dr Baloch.” He pointed out that Dr Baloch was Shah’s cousin.

Mahar felt that members of the party were conspiring against him. “Instead of campaigning for me, Shah and his supporters, including Dr Baloch, the president of PPP’s Rohri chapter, Shakeel Memon, and the special adviser to Sindh’s chief minister, Pehlaj Mal, asked the people to not vote for me,” he alleged. “This goes against the party’s ethics.” Mahar claimed that Shah had formed a coalition of a few independent candidates, Sukkur Ittehad, to contest the elections against him and another candidate, Nauman Islam Shaikh. Shaikh, however, won the election in his constituency.



“Shah has gone too far in his rivalry against me,” said Mahar. “I had no option left but to resign as the party’s president in Sukkur,” he added. He clarified that he would continue to be a general member of PPP.

“Throughout my political career, I have never desired posts,” he said. “I have informed the party’s senior leadership about my decision to resign and have also complained about Shah’s attitude. It is up to them to choose what action to take.” He pointed out that he had not been asked by the party to resign. “I have chosen to resign on ethical grounds.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2013.