Punjab revealed that such an exercise would lead to groupings that might undermine electoral prospects of the party in the general elections. As a result, the party elections in Sindh were delayed till general elections.
In the meantime however, Benazir Bhutto was assassinated and the party elections in three provinces Sindh, NWFP and Balochistan could not take place. The assassination was followed by 40 days of mourning by the party.
Sajjad Bukhari said that recently he had held a meeting with President of Pakistan and PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari for activating the party election process, and hoped that it would be materialised at an “appropriate time”.
He said that first phase of voluntarily membership had been completed. Bukhari also added that the PPP was only party, which had “paid membership”. He estimated that the party had raised over Rs40 million through memberships (Rs40 per membership form), while the share of Sindh was over Rs20 million. He said that after completing the membership process, the second phase of holding party elections from union councils to provincial level was supposed to be held, but that could not be done.
A PPP leader in Sindh, who wished to not be named, said that it was the conviction of late Benazir Bhutto to organise the party by holding internal elections. He said that a councillor was supposed to be elected by 25 members, but according to stipulated criteria, he or she should not be person of dubious character.
PPP Karachi had also reportedly accelerated its membership drive. However PPP Karachi President Senator Faisal Raza Abidi was reluctant to talk about it when contacted.
PPP Sindh General Secretary Nafees Siddiqi meanwhile maintained that PPP Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari showed “keen interest” in the reorganisation of the party. He said that this issue was also debated during the party’s meeting at Garhi Khuda Bux during Z.A. Bhutto’s 30th death anniversary commemoration.