Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Co-Chairman and former President Asif Ali Zardari visited Peshawar on Tuesday with the objective of ending internal differences within the provincial chapter of the party ahead of the local bodies' elections in the province.
This was the first ever visit of Asif Ali Zardari to the provincial capital after the completion of his party's five-year tenure in March 2013 during which, according to the insiders, the Co-Chairman held several meetings with the party's provincial leadership including with disgruntled workers.
They said that the Co-Chairman instructed all the concerned party leaders to step up co-ordination at the grassroots level in all the districts of the province for better results in the upcoming local bodies' elections scheduled for May 30.
Senator Khanzada Khan, PPP president for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter, while talking to Business Recorder, maintained that all the reservations of the disgruntled workers have been addressed and they would be consulted in all important decisions.
"Being provincial chief of the party, I am offering all to come and join hands in the best interest of the party," Zardari said, adding he was ready to give responsibilities to those who were unhappy with the leadership.
Khan added that the differences had already been addressed and pointed out that Lal Mohammad Khan, Azam Khan Afridi, Tariq Khattak and all those unhappy workers of the party were present during the meeting with the Co-Chairman and they pledged to work together with the party leadership for the benefit of the party.
He said that the visit of the Co-Chairman had been pending for long time and it provided a good opportunity to party workers to interact with Co-Chairman of the party, adding his visit will give new strength to the party to once again rise in the province.
Another senior leader Raheem Dad Khan, who was former senior provincial minister, said that it was decided in the meeting with the Co-Chairman that the party's conventions would be organized at district level with a view to effectively taking part in the local bodies' elections.
However, one of the disgruntled members of the party told this correspondent on condition of anonymity that the workers highlighted the "unfair" treatment of the workers by the provincial leadership.
He said the Co-Chairman has instructed the leadership to address the concerns and that they should be consulted in important decisions of the party. "We are as loyal to the party as those who were holding responsibilities. We will wait and see the behaviour of the provincial office bearers," he added.
Internal differences intensified in the provincial chapter of the party after its defeat in the 2013 general elections which was mainly attributed to the failed policies of the leadership and unfair treatment of the workers.
Two former premiers - Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervez Ashraf - visited Peshawar last month and were greeted by angry workers who staged a protest during the live press conference of the duo to record their protest.
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