ISLAMABAD: Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat may be made president of the Punjab chapter of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) with the objective of reviving the party in the majority province and to wean away ‘disgruntled electables’ from other political forces.
During his seven-day ‘Lahore mission’, PPP supremo Asif Ali Zardari had a two-hour meeting with Faisal Saleh, who confirmed the meeting to The News but was non-committal about being offered the top position in Punjab.
However, he said he was willing to play any role in the party while being associated with it. “It is for the top leadership to make the best use of its rank and file for the betterment of the party.”
Back in 1993, PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto had offered Faisal Saleh the slot of the Punjab president but he had declined the offer for his own reasons. Faisal Saleh agreed that the PPP needs influential figures in its fold who have a strong popular base in their constituencies so that it performs better in the next elections than in the previous polls.
An old timer in the PPP, Faisal Saleh had left the party along with nearly a dozen other party leaders after their election on its ticket in the 2002 general elections during Pervez Musharraf’s tenure. The group had formed the Patriots group allied to the Musharraf government. Some time back, Faisal Saleh had rejoined the PPP.
An insider, who did not want to be named, told this correspondent that In Zardari’s discussions in Lahore it had transpired that it may not be possible to revive the PPP at the grassroots level immediately but a more plausible strategy would be to try to woo electables with the aim of coming out with a better showing in the next elections in Punjab --the actual electoral battleground.
It was pointed out that the PPP suffered massively in the largest province because of its “inane priorities”, its neglect of Punjab and because it handed over its provincial leadership to “lightweights”, who failed to inspire the electorate.
The insider said that the PPP acknowledged its present dismal state in Punjab. The recent by-elections in the province, particularly the one held in Khushab, came under intense discussion to highlight its plight.
The PPP, the insider said, believed that there were certain elements within the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), who are estranged from their party and feel that if its leadership continued with its belligerent policy, those associated with it would have to face the music in the next polls.
He thought that such discontented influential electables should not go “untapped” and should be persuaded to join the PPP fold. “Even if we succeed in getting the support of a dozen such people, we will be much better off.” Similarly, according to the insider, the PPP believes that there are similar individuals in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), who are looking for other options in future elections. They have to be prevailed upon, he said.
The insider said that Zardari had also decided to work on those PPP deserters who had left it and joined other parties. Faisal Saleh and other important stalwarts would be assigned the task of wooing back the deserters. “The PPP chief wants to put together a team for the purpose so that it works with coordination and cohesion.”
He said that Zardari told visitors belonging to the PPP that the party was confident it would get a level playing field in the next parliamentary polls in Punjab where it had not been treated fairly in the past. However, despite this, it is obvious that during his stay in Lahore Zardari was not able to rope in even a single electable from any other party to the PPP fold. It is widely believed that the PPP faces a daunting task in the changed political scenario to attract influential figures to its fold.