PPP leadership seeks report on party’s KP office-bearers’ brawl

PESHAWAR: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Secretary General Nayyar Hussain Bukhari has asked the party’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter President Humayun Khan to submit a report on the alleged brawl between two senior party office-bearers.

PPP Senior Vice-President Akhundzada Chittan and Deputy Information Secretary Gohar Inqilabi had reportedly exchanged hot words and hit each other during a meeting at the residence of Humayun Khan on Wednesday.

Gohar Inqilabi denied any clash and said the media had blown the issue out of proportion. “That was a difference of opinion but no [physical] clash,” he said, adding, the office-bearers in the party chapter usually expressed their point of view on different issues,” he added.

He added the party office-bearers forcefully exchange arguments in meetings, but that should not be taken to the media. Without naming anyone, he said some party members intentionally leak information to the media for their vested interest.

However, he said, the central leadership has now taken notice of the issue and would take a decision on that. Gohar Inqilabi admitted having exchanged hot words with Akhundzada Chittan, adding, the issue was resolved at the end of the meeting.

A PPP KP chapter office-bearer, who was present at the meeting where the brawl took place, said the differences emerged over the formation of committees for the merged districts. Akhundzada Chittan, the PPP’s former MNA from Bajaur, has objected to the formation of the committees for merged districts.

“The two were not ready to accept each other’s point of view. The divisional presidents were then authorised to form committees for their respective merged tribal districts,” he said. “Seven tribal districts have been merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The organisational affairs are now the responsibility of the party’s provincial chapter. But some people are neither reorganising the party nor taking responsibility for the PPP’s poor performance in the previous general election,” he said while wishing not to be named.

The sources within the party told The News that the differences among the party’s provincial office-bearers could be judged from the fact that they could neither hold regular meetings nor come on one page regarding various issues. He said the central PPP leaders were aware of the differences in the party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but could not take action against anyone and the same will happen again.