New appointments: Khanzada Khan slated to be PPP K-P president

'Zardari approved Khanzada’s name for provincial president after meeting of party’s CEC,' says insider.

PESHAWAR:

Former MNA Khanzada Khan is likely to be appointed president of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) chapter, while Lal Mohammad Khan is likely to be appointed general secretary, The Express Tribune learnt on Wednesday.

A person familiar with the matter shared PPP Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari has issued the notification for both appointments. It is expected Khanzada and Lal Mohammad will soon take charge and begin reorganising the party in the province.

The appointed officers will select other office bearers in consultation with other senior PPP leaders, he added.

“Chairperson Zardari approved Khanzada’s name for provincial president after a meeting of the party’s central executive committee (CEC),” said the insider.

The CEC discussed the appointment of a new president in detail and the names of former provincial president Rahim Dad Khan, Syed Zahir Ali Shah and Arbab Alamgir Khan were also floated.

Turf war

However, a tug of war has been going on between Shah and Alamgir Khan over the president’s slot, explained the insider. One bone of contention between the two leaders is said to be the presidency of the PPP K-P women wing.

Shah wants to elevate his sister Rubina Khalid to the post of president which is currently occupied by Asma Alamgir Khan, Arbab Alamgir’s wife. The insider claimed these differences between the two leaders paved the way for Khanzada.

However, another PPP official told The Express Tribune no official notification has been issued as yet and Khanzada has only been verbally informed of his new responsibilities. Lal Mohammad Khan has not received any confirmation whether he will be the new general secretary or not.

The party official also negated reports of differences between Arbab Alamgir and Shah, calling them mere rumours.

“Shah has turned down the provincial presidential post in the past. However, many candidates lobby for themselves as appointment of PPP office bearers is a traditional affair because they are selected not elected,” he said.

When contacted for comments, PPP K-P Spokesperson Liaqat Shahbab could not be reached.Khanzada hails from Mardan and has been twice elected as MNA, while Lal Mohammad Khan hails from Malakand division and has served as MPA, Senator, MNA and federal minister for special initiatives in the past. In May, PPP provincial president Anwar Saifullah Khan resigned after the party’s dismal performance in the general elections. PPP only managed to win four seats in the provincial assembly and many of its stalwarts lost the polls.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 7^th,2013.