By Zulqernain TahirLAHORE: Since April 2016, the PPP has been without office-bearers in Lahore and other districts.

A worker said the leadership had completely ignored the provincial capital which was once a stronghold of the Bhuttos.

In April 2016, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had dissolved party chapters in the country and appointed committees for re-organisation and recommendation of names for the slots of president and general secretary.

The five-member committee for Punjab, headed by former premier Raja PervalzAshraf, recommended the names for the Lahore office president and general secretary several months ago to Mr BhuttoZardari but he has yet to spare time to interview candidates on the shortlistNaveed Chaudhry, Aslam Gill and Azizur Rehman Chan.

A senior PPP leader told Dawn that this was for the first time in the PPP`s history that Lahore was without a party president and other office-bearers.

`It is a pity that the party has been functioning in all important city which is considered hub of political activities without a president for a long period of time. It shows how much the party leadership is keen to regain political space in Lahore andPunjab,` he said, adding ignoring Lahore was in fact ignoring Punjab.

An old worl(er said the PPP was founded in Lahore in 1967 and and it was this city from where major political moves had originated. `It seems the leadership has deliberately left Lahore open for the Sharifs.

Perhaps the PPP leadership does not want to challenge the Sharifs in Lahore,` he said and added if this attitude of the leadership continued more PPP leaders would defect to other parties ahead of 2018 elections.

Workers believe the PPP could not run a campaign against the Sharifs in Punjab over Panamagate because most of the districts in the province were without office-bearers. `Workers cannot be mobilised without the party officials,` the PPP leader said.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari could not appoint office-bearers of various other districts such as Sheikhupura, Kasur, Nankana Sahib, Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Layyah, Vehari, Khanewal, Lodhran, Sahiwal, Pakpattan and Okara.

PPP Information Secretary Chaudhry Manzoor told Dawn there had been no delay in appointing Lahore and other districts office-bearers. `The party chairman is likely to start interviewing the candidates in Punjab from next week, he said.