Daily Times

Islamabad: Pakistan Peoples Party’s ranks in the Punjab are likely to shrink further with more party stalwarts set to defect to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the coming days, Daily Times has learnt.

Party insiders say that there are serious divisions within the organisation at the moment. “Most party loyalists are united on the point that the PPP stands no chance to perform well in the next general elections under PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari,” a said leader privy to recent developments.

He said that Zardari was somewhat oblivious to the situation on the ground because misinformation was being fed to him by a cabal of flatterers. “He is adamant on sticking to the driving seat,” he said. “Political heavyweights are disappointed in Zardari for not passing on the mantle to PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto. Bilawal is the custodian of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto’s legacy,” he said.

Over the past couple of months, PPP ranks have been left shaken with desertions by heavyweights like Noor Alam Khan, Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan and Nazar Mohammad Gondal.

DT’s discussion with party insiders reveals that negotiations are well underway between several other electables and the PTI leadership, particularly the party’s newly-elected general secretary Jahangir Tareen.

Tareen is widely believed to be ‘spearheading’ PTI’s campaign to attract electables into the PTI’s fold ahead of the next general election.

Leaders next in line to jump ship from the Punjab in the coming days include Nadeem Afzal Chan and Imtiaz Safdar Warraich. Warraich has already told the media that he is set to announce his joining of the PTI on coming Friday. Several attempts were made to contact Chan for his version but he was not available for comment.

He is expected to follow in the footsteps of his associate from Mandi Bahauddin Nazar Muhammad Gondal. The district had once considered a PPP stronghold in central Punjab. The party won both National Assembly and all five Punjab Assembly seats from the district in 1993 and 2008 general elections after which it formed governments in the centre. Mandi is also the only district in central Punjab where the party won the district nazim seat in 2001 local government elections. Nazar Gondal was elected to the office.

Asked if differences with Zardari were the only reason behind desertions, party insiders said those defecting were being paragmatic. They said that the bigwigs in the party felt that they stood no chance to win in their constituencies with Zardari at the helm. “They believe they can secure their seats only if they join the PTI as it enjoys the popularity at the moment,” they added.

With the leadership of the PPP and other opposition parties almost keeping mum on the Panama Papers case, PTI is the only party giving the ruling PML-N a tough time at the moment, they noted. “All anti-Nawaz votes in these constituencies is likely to be bagged by the PTI in the next general election,” they said. “The electables want to win their constituencies come what may,” they added.

However, one PPP leader who has failed to make an impression on the PTI leadership is PPP’s former Punjab president Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo.

Apparently, Wattoo has been in touch with Imran Khan but he failed to secure any instant assurances from the PTI chief. “Nobody from Jehangir Tareen to Shah Mehmood Qureshi likes Manzoor Wattoo because of his failure to deliver any improvement in the PPP’s standing in Punjab,” said a source in the PTI.

He added that several PTI leaders were of the opinion that Wattoo couldn’t achieve anything for the PPP, he couldn’t be relied upon to bring anything to the PTI either.

He said a number of heavyweights were in touch with the PTI leadership but the latter had decided to put final decisions on these cases on halt till the outcome of the ongoing proceedings of the Joint Investigation Team in the Panama Papers leaks. It is important to note that Wattoo had not been invited to the recent PPP central executive committee meeting held this week.

Brushing aside rumours about Zardari going into ‘hibernation’ abroad, the PPP insider said that the PPP supremo had gone to London for medical check-up and will be back as soon as he gets fit.

PPP Information Secretary Chaudhry Manzoor dismissed concerns over recent desertions from the party. He said several political leaders from other parties, including the PTI, had joined the PPP as well in the last six months. “Right now, the PTI has turned into a laundry shop,” he said. He said he was confident that despite desertions the PPP would emerge as the biggest political force in the next general elections.