PESHAWAR: A third group is likely to emerge in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz as many of its office-bearers have joined hands to raise voice against the leadership for what they call its failure to solve their problems.

No doubt the party has a sizeable vote bank in the province but the internal rifts have stopped its further progress, according to insiders.

Know more: PML-N activists to protest ‘leadership’s apathy’

Sources said that two groups already existed in the party in the province; one was led by Eng Amir Muqam and the other by Pir Sabir Shah. The workers associated with Mr Shah are stated to be senior while members of the other group are considered newcomers in the party.

Although the annoyed leaders are not ready to be described as third group yet they have announced complete boycott of all kinds of meetings and functions of the party and refused to hold negotiations with the provincial leadership.

Annoyed workers not ready to meet any party leader except PM and governor

Sources said that members of the annoyed group were influenced by Javed Jhagra, the brother of PML-N general secretary Iqbal Zafar Jhagra.

They said that Iqbal Zafar Jhagra wanted to become governor but the central leadership did not pay him attention that created differences in the party.

The annoyed workers said that they would not hold negotiations with anyone except Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Sardar Mahtab Ahmed Khan as their demands pertained to the federal government.

They decided that they would not enter the Governor House unless their demands were solved. The governor would come to the party’s secretariat for negotiations, they said.

The annoyed workers demanded of the federal government take all decisions pertaining to the province after consultation with the party leaders of the relevant districts. Similarly, they said that the ministers and central leaders should inform local office-bearers before entering a district in the province.

“PML-N provincial president Pir Sabir Shah and general secretary Rehmat Salam Khattak contacted us for negotiations but we refused to meet them because our statements were appearing in the press for the past many weeks but the leaders did not pay us any attention,” Abdul Sattar Khalil, PML-N Peshawar president, who is also convener of the annoyed group, told this correspondent.

He said that PML-N provincial general secretary and some other people were influencing the governor to avoid meeting the workers. “We are not doing anything wrong but want to get respect for the workers,” he said.

Ikramullah Kokikhel, a PML-N leader in Fata, said that the annoyed workers were serving their own interests and trying to get their own demands solved but Governor Sardar Mahtab was not ready to do anything illegal.

“The annoyed people want the governor to transfer the government officials, especially tehsildars, patwaris and policemen on their request but he (governor) is not ready to do so,” Mr Kokikhel said and added that the people should avoid forming any new group in the party for personal interests.

Rehmat Salam Khattak, when contacted, said that all the matters could be resolved through negotiations. He said that provincial leaders were ready to listen to the workers’ complaints anywhere.

Meanwhile, a meeting was held at the residence of PML-N Peshawar district president Abdul Sattar Khalil to condemn the former dictator Pervez Musharraf for toppling the government on Oct 12, 1999.

Several provincial and district office-bearers of the party including Haji Sifatullah, Arbab Khizar Hayat, Waqif Khan, Ihsanullah, Javed Jhagra, Rashid Mehmood, Arshad Qureshi, Aftab Ahmed Khan, Sharafat Ali Mubarak and Sardar Mohmand spoke on the occasion.

They condemned the former dictator for toppling the government of their party in 1999. They said that Pervez Musharraf had toppled the government of Nawaz Sharif but now he was begging the same leader to release him.

Speaking on the occasion, Arbab Khizar Hayat lashed out at retired Gen Musharraf.

About the internal differences in the provincial chapter of the party, he said that the PML-N workers had the courage to rise for their rights. He said that they would continue their struggle unless they got their rights.

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2014