LAHORE: Developments taking place on the national scene after attack on TV anchor Hamid Mir has reportedly forced PPP patronin-chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to defer his Lahore visit.

Bilawal was due here by Sunday after the party leadership finalised his week-long stay in Lahore. Former president Asif Ali Zardari was to accompany him.

`Bilawal`s Lahore programme had been finalised but the unexpected media scenario forced him to postpone his Lahore visit again,` a source in the PPP told Dawn. `In a week-long stay Bilawal was to meet the media persons editors, anchors, columnists and beat reporters. But in the current scenario he has been advised (by some senior party leaders) that it is not the right time to pay a visit to the stronghold of the Sharifs,` he said.

`Like that of the PML-N`s wait and see policy, the PPP too is cautious over the ongoing issue,` the source said.

Earlier, Bilawal had postponed his Lahore visit because of security issues. The Lashkari-Jhangvi had sent a threatening letter to Bilawal at Bilawal House, Karachi. The Punjab government had formed a committee headed by the IGP but it could not come up with its findings. After threats from LJ and the Punjab government `failure` to address the PPP concerns, the party had decided to send Sindh police commandos for Bilawal`s security in Lahore.

Punjab PPP President Manzoor Wattoo insisted that Bilawal had deferred the Lahore visit owing to security concerns.

Asked for how long the PPP would blame `security issues` for the postponement of Bilawal`s visit, Wattoo said: `Nonetheless security is one of the prime concerns of the PPP.` Bilawal`s media adviser Fawad Chaudhry told Dawn that the party`s patron-in-chief`s Lahore visit had been postponed on `political developments in Sindh. However, Mr Bilawal will soon visit Punjab,` he added.