PPP leaders on collision course over removal of opp leader * Wattoo rejects party leaders’ demand, terming it against the party policy
By Kashif Hussain, Friday, October 25, 2013, Source - Daily Times
LAHORE: A rift among the leaders of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Punjab surfaced on Thursday when the party’s provincial chief rejected the demand of replacement of PTI’s opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly with his own party leader, declaring it against the party policy.
He held a press conference here after holding a special party meeting of its Faisalabad chapter office bearers at Model Town office on Thursday. Meanwhile, other party leaders including General Secretary PPP Lahore Aziz ur Rehman Chann, former opposition leader in Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz and deputy parliamentary leader Shaukat Basra held a separate press conference and demanded replacement of opposition leader in the provincial house.
They said their party favoured strong opposition in the province wanted to see mutual cooperation among all four opposition parties including the PTI and PML-Q.
Raja Riaz said Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed was not addressing public issues, instead it seemed that he had some underhand deals with the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) led provincial government, adding resultantly he was not raising public related issues at the suitable forum and at appropriate time.
He said the recent development in the province where Mian Mahmood ur rasheed brother had been appointed in Lahore Development Authority (LDA) at a lucrative post reflects that PTI backed opposition leader was working for vested interests.
Shaukat Basra and Aziz ur Rehman Chann added that PTI should introduce a new opposition leader who could openly talk over prevailing issues including terrorism, inflation and unemployment.
Lamenting over the poor performance of Mian Mahmood Ur Rasheed in the provincial assembly, they said Imran Khan should personally look into the matter and replace present opposition leader with a new one who must talk about the issues of people.
At a separate press conference, PPP Punjab President Mian Manzoor Watto who had several meetings with PTI bigwigs in the province recently to gather all the opposition parties at a single platform strongly reacted at the demand raised by Chann, Raja Riaz and Shaukat Basra.
Watto expressed complete ignorance about the stance of Raja Riaz and categorically stated that it was not the PPP policy and he would seek answer from Raja Riaz and Shaukat Basra to hold such a press conference and demand of replacement of opposition leader in the house.
Watto said being a large party in the house, PTI has its own right to nominate opposition leader in the assembly and PPP has nothing to do with the replacement of opposition leader in provincial assembly. However, he said that Mian Mahmood Ur Rasheed was a gentleman and a man of character.
Regarding the PPP foundation day celebrations, he announced that PPP Punjab would celebrate it in Faisalabad. He said the PPP had planed to re-organise the party at provincial level.
He said the PPP would take part in local government elections with full strength in Punjab and would make a remarkable victory. He said it was misconception of PPP opponents that Bhuto’s party had finished. Watto said people would see the difference in upcoming elections.
On the other hand, Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed, while reacting over the issue and the demand of the PPP to replace him from the office of opposition leader, said the PTI along with other political parties was going to change the designated person on the post in Centre who belonged to PPP. “In response to our move in the Centre, PPP is campaigning against us at the Punjab level,” he added. Later, a statement was issued by the PTI Secretariat, in which the party expressed its full confidence in Mehmoodur Rasheed.