Saifullah announced his resignation and took responsibility for the party’s electoral failure which upset party members. PHOTO: FILE
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is taking stock of the defeat it suffered across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) on Election Day, with senior party leaders questioning the role of PPP Provincial President Anwar Saifullah Khan.
Saifullah announced his resignation and took responsibility for the party’s electoral failure. This did not fare well with party stalwarts, who did not want Saifullah let off the hook so easily. Party members took the provincial president to task in the last meeting where Saifullah announced he accepted the election result.
Deputy General Secretary Zahir Shah Toru, Provincial Information Secretary Liaquat Shahbab and Deputy Information Secretary Gohar Inqilabi also decided to resign in light of the PPP’s performance.
On May 15, some party leaders met at the residence of former K-P health minister Syed Zahir Ali Shah, where they decided to protest against the election outcome. They alleged widespread rigging had taken place.
Following Saifullah’s announcement of his resignation, the provincial president called another meeting of the provincial cabinet, which was not attended by some members including provincial vice president, Abdul Akbar Khan.
A source told The Express Tribune Saifullah was criticised for accepting defeat in a hurry and was told he should not have done so in an individual capacity as the decision should have been taken collectively by the provincial cabinet and general council.
The source said Saifullah was told he had no authority to concede defeat because a large number of candidates had serious reservations over the transparency of the elections. “He was told the party will not accept the results in the province even if the central leadership does.”
“The provincial cabinet constitutes at least 11 members and Saifullah inducted random people who had nothing to do with party (into the cabinet). He played with the party’s decorum,” the source alleged.
The party needed to induct people where they were needed, but Saifullah inducted them based on their electability, estranging party workers, added the source.
Saifullah nominated Iftikhar Jhagra, a close relative, for the PK-9 seat. This forced provincial finance secretary Haji Sharif to join the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F). In Mardan, he chose Iftikhar Mohmand, who ended up siding with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with his 5,000 strong vote bank.
Jhagra’s induction was a blunder that negatively affected the party’s position in Peshawar district, said the source. “Saifullah is also blamed for not constituting an election cell on the provincial level, thereby keeping the party’s information and deputy information secretary in the dark.”
“In the last meeting, Saifullah also nominated senior vice president Azam Afridi to be in charge in his absence. This was contested by Peshawar district president Zulfiqar Afghani and others,“ the source said.
Afghani claimed Azam was nowhere to be seen during the election campaign after the party did not award him the ticket for NA-1. The source claimed Saifullah was probably at odds with Abdul Akbar Khan, which is why he preferred Azam.
The party’s provincial president should have run the campaign at grass root levels, but he never left his hometown in Lakki Marwat throughout the campaign season, the source said, adding he Saifullah had no future with the party.
He chose candidates as if they were his personal employees and did not take the cabinet into confidence. “A majority of leaders are thinking about a re-haul and inducting new people through intra-party elections on the provincial level based on ideology. Selection based on electability negates the philosophy of the PPP,” claimed the source.
Nighat Orakzai, Saifullah’s spokesperson, denied all criticism aimed at the PPP provincial president and claimed a majority of party leaders had asked him to withdraw his resignation. “Saifullah was told the party leaders did not consider him responsible for electoral defeat and that parties go through tough phases from time to time.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 22nd, 2013.
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If PPP and ANP what to avoid further defeats in the still not completed elections they should make seat adjustments. It is better that they make seat adjustments before the elections rather than losing them and regret after the fact. The environment in KPK is not favorable to the nationalist and progressive parties but they can still put up a good fight if they use their brains and not hurt their parties and nationalist progressive secular causes.