Disgruntled workers of ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have chalked out agitation plan against the alleged indifferent attitude of leadership and ignoring them in decision making process in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They have set a deadline to stage a protest rally outside Peshawar's Governor House on October 20th next, which would continue till the acceptance of their demands.
The party leadership has been completely ignoring us and not giving due respect and position, which has created grave unrest among them, says a dissident worker, while talking to this scribe here on Friday. He further added only those people get weight in party affairs who have either been loyal to Pervez Musharraf or who have quit PML-N soon after October 98's coup.
The disgruntled workers said that they were allegedly banning their entry into Prime Minister House and Governor House, which is reflecting anti-worker policy of the party. Since long, the annoyed office bearers said; we have no say in party's affairs, whether it is about making nominations within the party at central level or appointing advisors or ministers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Another office bearer told this scribe, who added that it was an important meeting and they were fully satisfied of the numbers of attendants.
They lamented that there were no place for old leaguers in the party, as sitting in the front in today's PML-N row are those, who have once been seen with Pervez Musharraf. Another unhappy leaguer said, "We will start a series of protest rallies across the province, if our demands are not met", they announced. Whenever N-League has come into power, doors of Prime Minister and Governor House have been closed on party's office bearers and workers, this time, it is too, they added.
The annoyed workers questioned why a ban on the entry of PML-N office bearers has been imposed? "We the ideological workers and office bearers of the party are out to provide genuine and deserving positions to leaguers within the party". The office bearers who participated in the meeting were from district Peshawar, Mardan, Charsadda, Abbottabad, Dir, Nowshera, Swabi and Kohat.
"We are going to take out a protest rally in front of Governor House on October 20, if doors of Governor House are not opened for office bearers of the PML-N after the set deadline which is October 20. We will be free in making any decision after the expiry of the deadline, they announced.
Yesterday in a meeting of dissident workers of PML-N Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was decided to stage a Protest against the leadership, which also attended by scores of unhappy workers of the party from across the province. Prominent among the office bearers of the party who attended the meeting were Sattar Khalil, Arshad Qureshi, Waqif Khan, Haji Siffatullah, Sharafat Ali Mubarak, Ehsanullah, Malak Fakhar Hayat, Sajad Ahmad, Haji Noor Mohammad, Javid Jaghrah, Rashid Mehmood, Sardar Mohmand, Faridoon Khan, Arbab Khizar Hayat, Colonel Sikandar (Retd) and Aftab Khan.
The dissident workers during the meeting came down hard on both central and provincial leadership of the party for ignoring them, giving them no weight in making decisions. The sitting Governor Sardar Mehtab Abbasi is representing N-League. But unfortunately, doors of Governor House have been closed on leaguers, which they termed regrettable.
According to the scheduled protest march, the workers said it will start from Peshawar Press Club. And after passing through different routs, it will turn into a big protest gathering in front of Governor House. And prominent leaguers will address it. Though, N-League is in power at center, sitting in opposition in KP and have a Governor, too, in the province, yet dedicated old workers and office bearer who have rendered sacrifices at critical times when top leadership was in exile, are being totally ignored in today's PML-N.