Bilawal leaves Pak after tiff with Zardari
Bilawal,
recently named patron-in-chief of the Pakistan People's Party,
developed differences with Zardari and his sister, Faryal Talpur, over
the party's handling of key issues, including militant violence,
sectarian attacks against Shias and the award of party tickets for the
polls scheduled for 11th May.
Two
sources privy to the development said that Bilawal had made it clear to
his father that he felt the PPP had not strongly taken up issues like
the shooting of teenage rights activist Malala Yusufzai by Taliban
fighters last year and three devastating bomb attacks on Shias in Quetta
and Karachi that killed nearly 250 people.
Bilawal
was also upset with the PPP's handling of issues that affect the youth,
especially in the wake of efforts by other parties like Imran Khan's
Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf to woo the youth ahead of the polls.
The
24-year-old nominal chief of the PPP was angered by Faryal Talpur's
refusal to award tickets to certain candidates in Sindh province that he
had recommended, a source said.
"Last
month, Bilawal had recommended the names of some 200 PPP workers and
asked former Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah to give those jobs but
Talpur had intervened, causing bad blood between them," the source said.
Bilawal
discussed these matters with his father and sought authority to take
decisions in party matters. But Zardari sided with his sister, who plays
a key role in the PPP's affairs.
Bilawal's
abrupt departure for Dubai last week has caused considerable disquiet
within the PPP as the party had been banking on him to appeal to the
voters who have traditionally voted for the Bhutto family.
"Bilawal
had been projected as the PPP's star campaigner as the President cannot
participate in the campaign due to pressure from the courts," a PPP
leader said.
"Without
Bilawal, the PPP cannot touch the emotions of the people, especially
the hard core PPP workers," said the PPP leader, who did not wish to be
named.
The leader said that he feared the PPP might not be able to get the "Bhutto vote" if Bilawal did not take part in the campaign.
PPP leaders have acknowledged that Bilawal will not be present when the party launches its election campaign on 4th April from Garhi Khuda Buksh, the traditional stronghold of the Bhutto family in Sindh.
However,
they contended that Bilawal was not participating in the event for
"security reasons" and would instead deliver a telephonic address.
Latif
Khosa, recently elected secretary general of the PPP, said that there
were security threats to the party's leadership, especially Bilawal.
He
said: "Bilawal may not attend election rallies due to security concerns
and is likely to address gatherings on telephone or via
video-conferencing."
PPP
spokesman Qamar Zaman Kaira too said Bilawal would not attend the rally
on April 4 because he was "facing more threats than other leaders of
the PPP".
Party
leaders are also concerned that the PPP's campaign is now likely to be
led by former premier Yousuf Raza Gilani, who is known for his lack of
charisma.
This
would place the PPP at a disadvantage as it is up against seasoned
campaigners like Imran Khan and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif.
Gilani
sought to play down the issue of Bilawal's sudden departure from
Pakistan, saying there were no differences between Bilawal and Zardari
or Talpur.
"In our families, our children give immense respect to their elders," Gilani said.
Hasham Riaz, Bilawal's chief of staff, said Bilawal had gone to Dubai for "routine business".
He claimed the reports of differences between Bilawal and his father "mere rumours".
Asked if Bilawal would come back to Pakistan, Riaz said,"Of course."
Bilawal himself will not be eligible to contest polls till he turns 25 in September.
The
PPP had formally launched his political career at a massive rally in
Garhi Khuda Baksh that marked the death anniversary of his mother,
former premier Benazir Bhutto, in December last year.
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