By: Rana Farooq Ashraf
Published By:ANI News Agency
It is painful to discuss the present state of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in Central Punjab. My criticism does not arise from personal differences, a desire for office, or factional politics. It comes from the disappointment of a political worker who devoted his youth, time, resources, and years of struggle to the party. The question today is why workers, who once formed the backbone of the party, now struggle to reach their own leadership.
I still remember the days when I entered politics after completing my education and becoming involved in business. At that time, the party was led by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, who was in exile. We were actively participating in the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD), struggling for the restoration of democracy. In Lahore, Mian Misbah ur Rehman was the president. We participated enthusiastically in political activities, protests, and party events to raise our voices for democracy, public welfare, and political rights.
I remember writing two emails to Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto as an ordinary party worker. On the first occasion, I contacted her regarding political developments and arrests connected with the ARD struggle in Lahore. In response, she directed Maj. Anwar Alvi to contact me so that we could work on the matter. On another occasion, I wrote to Mohtarma again, and Senator Palwasha Shah contacted me from Islamabad, informing me that Mohtarma had recommended my name for the Overseas Committee. At that time, Babar Awan was associated with the party and was looking after the Overseas Committee.
These experiences reflected a political culture in which the leadership listened to its workers, recognised their contributions, and maintained direct communication with them. This was the vision that encouraged workers to remain committed to the party. An ordinary worker could raise an issue and receive a response from the highest level of leadership.
Later, I moved overseas but continued participating in party activities and remained involved in its organisational work. Our family also contributed to the party's political struggle. Party tickets were awarded to members of our family for national and provincial assembly elections, including Rana Mahmood Ashraf and myself. For nearly two decades, we remained associated with party activities, organisational responsibilities, and electoral struggles, often using our own resources.
Yet today, a troubling question confronts us: when we were young and our political activities were at an early stage, the leadership knew us, recognised our work, and listened to our concerns. Why, after years of commitment and political struggle, have workers found it so difficult to communicate directly with their leadership?
For the past several years, I have tried to highlight the party's position through newspaper articles and political commentary, particularly drawing attention to organisational weaknesses in Central Punjab. I have repeatedly pointed out that the PPP's identity in this region has become confined to a handful of familiar faces. The same five or seven individuals appear in meetings, gatherings, and photographs, while serious questions remain about their grassroots activities, public engagement, and ability to mobilise workers.
These familiar faces have increasingly become a barrier between the leadership and the party's rank and file. When access to senior leaders, participation in decisions, and opportunities for political representation revolve around a limited circle, where are new workers supposed to go? Who will listen to the concerns of long-serving party members? And who will carry the party's message to the public?
My position is clear: proximity to the leadership cannot be the ultimate measure of a politician's contribution. Public support, electoral performance, organisational ability, and the confidence of party workers must be the principal criteria. If a leader fails to maintain public engagement, strengthen the organisation, or build lasting relationships with workers, that leader's performance must be reviewed. Those who have received ministerial positions, advisory appointments, or other public offices should also be assessed on the basis of their contribution to strengthening the party.
Across various districts and divisions of Punjab, concerns are being raised about the effectiveness of the party's provincial organisation. Questions have emerged regarding the activity of the provincial president and the organisational role of Hassan Murtaza, General Secretary of Pakistan Peoples Party Central Punjab. The office of general secretary demands political maturity, organisational discipline, a clear vision, and the ability to unite and mobilise workers. It is not merely a title; it carries the responsibility of keeping the entire organisation active and connected.
The performance of Hassan Murtaza and other prominent provincial officeholders should be examined in this context. The party needs leaders who can build confidence among workers, remain engaged with public issues, and play a practical role in strengthening the organisation throughout Central Punjab. Instead of dismissing criticism, the leadership should encourage an impartial assessment of performance and accountability.
The most important question, however, is for Bilawal Bhutto Zardari: Has the central leadership compromised on Central Punjab, or has it failed to give this region the attention it deserves? If the situation is unacceptable to the central leadership, why have longstanding organisational weaknesses not been addressed effectively?
Punjab is not simply another province; it occupies a decisive position in Pakistan's national politics. If the PPP cannot rebuild public confidence in Punjab, present a clear political narrative, and establish a strong organisational structure, its ambition of returning to federal power will face a formidable challenge. The party cannot restore its national political standing while neglecting the importance of Punjab.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari must look beyond the five or seven familiar faces that have come to define the party's public image in Central Punjab. The leadership must establish direct connections with workers at the district, tehsil, and union council levels. People who understand their constituencies, engage with the public, organise party activities, and maintain meaningful relationships with workers should be given opportunities. Party tickets and organisational positions should be awarded on the basis of performance, public support, and organisational capability rather than personal proximity to senior leadership.
The Pakistan Peoples Party has a history of sacrifice, resistance, and public politics. This legacy cannot be confined to the limited politics of a few individuals. Workers are not a burden on the party; they are its foundation. If the leadership continues to overlook committed workers and depend on a narrow circle of familiar faces, rebuilding the party in Central Punjab will become increasingly difficult.
My question remains the same: The leadership that once responded to the email of an ordinary party worker—is it prepared to listen to its committed workers today?
If the PPP wants to regain its political standing in Punjab, it must move beyond photographs and closed-door meetings and reconnect with the people. The leadership must restore direct communication with workers, make performance the standard for organisational appointments, and provide opportunities to those who can contribute meaningfully to the party's revival.
Otherwise, history will not merely record that the PPP declined in Punjab. It will also ask why those responsible for leading the party failed to take timely action to address that decline.
