Decision in party being taken with consultation: senator

NOWSHERA: Senator Rubina Khalid, President of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Women’s Wing and Chairperson of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), has said that all decisions within the PPP are made through mutual consultation.

She said the decision whether or not to join the federal cabinet would be made by the Central Executive Committee (CEC), which would convene a meeting soon.

Rubina Khalid expressed these views while addressing a gathering as the chief guest at the 71st birthday celebration of the PPP leader Shaheed Benazir Bhutto in Khattak Bagh. The event was presided over by PPP District Nowshera president Muhammad Idrees Khattak and attended by other leaders including Fazal Maula Chattan Advocate, District General Secretary Falak Niaz, and Divisional General Secretary Mian Rashid Ali Shah Kakakhel. Provincial party leaders, assembly members, and numerous party workers also participated in the event.

Rubina noted that although there might have been discussions about joining the federal cabinet during the meeting between PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Prime Minister Mian Shehbaz Sharif, the majority within the PPP have decided to support the government without becoming part of the cabinet.

Rubina Khalid highlighted that the position of BISP chairperson was given to her by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the recommendation of President Asif Ali Zardari to ensure the programme is effectively managed. She criticised the previous governments of 2013 and 2018 for electoral fraud and underscored PPP’s longstanding role as a major political force in all four provinces.

She condemned the actions of the previous government led by Imran Khan, accusing it of targeting poverty alleviation programmes and implementing policies that harmed the poor. She assured that, under the guidance of President Zardari, steps were being taken to reinstate efforts to alleviate poverty, including removing certain conditions from the BISP, and incorporating new initiatives to support unmarried women.Rubina Khalid also offered her condolences to the family of Aftab Khattak’s nephew Tahir Khattak on his demise and prayed for the departed soul.