LAHORE: President Asif Ali Zardari, who is also PPP co-chairperson, has again pledged to focus on the party in Punjab, particularly the southern part of the province.

President Zardari, who is staying at the Governor House here since June 1, is meeting the PPP leaders, including the disgruntled ones, on a daily basis to do his homework on reorganisation of the PPP in its lost stronghold.

On Wednesday, he met, among others, with south Punjab chapter president Makhdoom Ahmed Mahmood and chief coordinator Abdul Qadir Shaheen. They discussed the strategy for the party`s reorganisation in the province.During the meeting, it was decided that Mr Zardari, who left for Islamabad in the evening, would return to Lahore after Eidul Azha and resume the party`s reorganisation.

He may also visit Rahim Yar Khan for a few days to meet the party`s south Punjab cadre, Mr Shaheen told Dawn.

According to him, it was decided in principle that President Zardari would separately meet all office-bearers from union council to provincial level, including heads of various party wings and ticket-holders from each district. He will also meet those who left the party or became dormant due to different reasons.

The meeting also decided that the party would focus on women, youth, labour and peasants, while traders and civil society organisations would also be included in this `mass-contact` drive.

He said the PPP cadres in all districts of Punjab have been directed to fully participate in the local body polls,held whenever and in whatever form, in Punjab.

The meeting also decided to revive the criteria introduced by the slain party chairperson, Benazir Bhutto, that a ticket-holder who could not get at least 7,000 votes in the general elections in a national or provincial assembly constituency would not be considered for ticket in the next polls.

Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan, Political Secretary to the President Ms Rukhsana Bangash and Makhdoom Syed Ali Mahmood were also present during the meeting.

A press release said that earlier the delegation gave Mr Zardari a comprehensive briefing on the public issues in different constituencies of south Punjab, local development priorities and making the organisationalstructure ofthe party effective.

Detailed consultations were also held on the people-friendly agenda of the PPP, electoral preparations, contacts with workers and further strengtheningof the party`s ideological narrative.

It quoted President Zardarias saying that the main objective of the PPP is to carry the voice of the marginalised sections of the country to the elected houses.

He said south Punjab is a politically important region and the love and sacrifices of its people are the party`s capital.

President Zardari announced that he will pay a detailed visit to south Punjab after Eidul Azha and hold face-to-face meetings with the PPP office-bearers, allied wings, women and youth leaders and workers, besides the senior leaders, to make the party organisations more active, integrated and effective at the ground level.

He said the party needs perseverance, ideological commitment and organisational discipline, adding that it would be possible only by taking every worker along, bringing forward the young leadership and establish a dynamic political structure at the constituency level.