Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is visiting Islamabad today to kick off his party’s campaign for the Local Bodies (LB) elections in Punjab. According to details, the PPP leader is likely to meet the office-bearers of 10 Punjab districts including Faisalabad, Nankana Sahab, Kasur, Okara, Pak Patan, Gujrat, Lahore and Chakwal to finalise preparations for the LB polls.The session would start from August 25 in which Bilawal Bhutto Zardari would make strategies regarding the Punjab LB polls. The party sources have said the PPP chairman has decided to take command of the LB elections to inject new spirit in the ranks, as the party has been on a decline since the general elections. Moreover, Bilawal Bhutto said that PPP is ardent in participating in the LB polls to revive the party in the largest province. The first phase of the Local Government elections will begin at the end of the next month both in Sindh and Punjab. In Sindh, which remains the only stronghold of the party, a number of provincial leaders and activists have either left the country or decided to lie low for the time being. The provincial leadership is under pressure on account of corruption probes. Taking benefit of the situation the PTI is trying to make inroads into the PPP’s constituency.In Punjab, the party is totally rudderless. The lacklustre provincial leadership enjoys little influence over its workers. Despite making efforts Zardari failed to curb the rampant factionalism in the party’s Punjab chapter. Many look up to Bilawal to revamp and energise the party.After Bilawal returned from abroad in early June, PPP Punjab leaders expected him to camp in Lahore. During the last three months he has only been to Islamabad once where he met leaders from Punjab and KP. Bilawal has not made any tour of Sindh either. Two reasons limit his activities. First, he is yet not authorised by Zardari to take major decisions on his own. Second, there are genuine concerns about his personal security. The prospects for the PPP under the circumstances do not look bright, at least for the foreseeable future.
pk.shafaqna.com
