PPP Patriot and PPP-S formally merged

The Pakistan People's Party (Patriot) and the Pakistan People's Party (Sherpao) on Sunday formally announced merger of the two factions.
Rao Sikandar Iqbal, chairman of the Patriot group, who is also defence minister, made the announcement during the 29th death anniversary of late Hayat Muhammad Khan Sherpao here at Sherpao village.
"The merger of Patriot and Sherpao factions of the PPP will accomplish the mission of late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and late Hayat Muhammad Khan Sherpao," Rao Iqbal pronounced and added that the merger will help strengthen democracy and democratic institutions in the country.
The Patriot faction was created by the defectors of Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians at the time of formation of the Jamali government.
Majority of them was senior leaders of the PPP, who had termed their defection as voice of their conscience.
The military government put article 63-A in abeyance to facilitate their defection.
The PPP had already expelled them after cancelling their basic membership. However, due to reasons known to the top leadership, the party has yet to filed disqualification references against them.
Federal Minister for Power Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, speaking on the occasion, expressed the hope that the historic announcement would have positive impact on national politics.
"We will continue the mission of both Hayat Sherpao and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto," Sherpao said.
Rao Sikandar Iqbal and Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao also lashed out at opposition for politicising nuclear scientists' debriefing.
"The opposition is spreading rumours and exposing themselves to the masses," Sherpao said, adding, country's nuclear programme is in safe hands and will be safeguarded at all cost, but nuclear proliferation will not be allowed.
Defence Minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal in his speech supported policies of President Pervez Musharraf, saying, he had given a prestigious status to the country all over the world.
Appreciating the policies of President Musharraf, the defence minister said it has pulled the country out of internal and external crises and taken practical steps for stabilisation of democracy.
Criticising the MMA, he said that despite the establishment of religious parties government in the NWFP, the alliance had completely failed to come up with the expectations of the masses, saying, due to improper policies the administrative structure of the province was about to collapse.
He said it was the main reason behind the fragile economic condition of the province.
Petroleum Minister Chaudhry Nauraiz Shakoor, central president of Pakistan Awami Party Fanoos Gujar, central president of Mazdoor Kisan Party Afzal Khamoosh, parliamentary leader of PML (Q) in the provincial assembly Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani and MPAs Sikandar Sherpao and Murid Kazim were also present on the occasion.