Speaker of the National Assembly, Raja Pervez Ashraf. PHOTO: APP/FILE-
LAHORE:
With its footprint in Punjab continuing to fade, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is turning to new local leadership and street mobilization in a bid to reclaim political space, even as its central leadership is sending mixed signals about its alliance with the PML-N, a stance seen as confused and politically unconvincing.
Banks on newly appointed officials in Lahore, the party is gearing up for a rally on Sunday aimed at reviving workers and projecting presence on the streets.
But even as it prepares for the show, the party has sought to rhetorically distance itself from its partners in the ruling coalition, apparently trying to exploit what it perceives as political space in the province.
PPP Central Punjab President Raja Pervez Ashraf has repeatedly maintained that the alliance with the PML-N was formed “in the interest of the state” rather than for political gains.
A day earlier, he had claimed that the PPP was removed from Punjab’s power politics through a conspiracy. However, Ashraf has also called for unity and cooperation within the ruling coalition, a position that critics call politically ambivalent and which has so far failed to resonate with voters in the province.
Ashraf was speaking to reporters after a meeting organized in connection with the party’s “Kashmir Banega Pakistan” march. According to party sources, the demonstration is also intended to push for Indian-occupied Kashmir to be included on the agenda of an upcoming international peace forum.
However, organizational missteps exposed internal strains in the party. The time Lahore President Faisal Mir had announced for workers to gather at Nasir Bagh clashed with a separate media call at PPP leader Hasan Murtaza’s residence where former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani was expected to offer condolences on the death of Murtaza’s father.
The scheduling conflict raised questions about coordination and hinted at rifts in the party before the Lahore chapter stepped in to resolve the overlap.
Party insiders say the march is really a test of the PPP’s street strength in Punjab, where the party has struggled to maintain political relevance. The newly installed local leadership hopes the mobilization will help rebuild momentum and re-establish its connection with workers.
A senior party leader, who requested anonymity, admitted that without taking a clear policy stance, the PPP would find it difficult to make inroads in the province.
“Ambiguity may work inside assemblies, but it doesn’t work in street politics,” he said, adding that the leadership would have to give provincial leaders more space if the party hoped to compete seriously in the next election cycle.
During the press conference, Ashraf also highlighted the farmers’ concerns and urged the Punjab government to address the increasing agricultural losses. He said farmers were stranded and delayed relief could affect future crops and expressed hope that the chief minister would take immediate action.
