KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi. Photo: File
LAHORE:
Senior PPP leaders have expressed deep disappointment over KP Governor Faisal Kareem Kundi’s attempt to obstruct the process of resignation of outgoing Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, warning that such undemocratic maneuvers – in pursuit of “establishment-dictated goals” – were damaging the party’s credibility.
“Earlier, we were seen as the flag bearers of democracy in Pakistan, but today we are seen as just another pawn on the establishment’s chessboard,” said a senior party official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
He pointed out that Governor Kundi had initially blocked the process by objecting to a “computer-typed resignation”, and that when Gandapur submitted a handwritten letter to avoid further complications, “there was the issue of two resignation letters and then questionable signatures.”
“If that was not enough, the governor then used the excuse of his unavailability and non-working days,” he added.
“We were once considered the guardians of law and human rights, and to be mocked to this extent has been a shocking experience for those who saw the days of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in the party,” he remarked.
He said that even at internal meetings, party members joked about the “bizarre episode”, although many of them privately worried about the image such antics gave the party in front of its voters. “Governor Kundi’s attempt to prevent the resignation was nothing extraordinary, but the crude and almost juvenile manner in which it was done caused the entire party to lose face,” he said.
“We understand that the party has only followed the lines given by the great director of this great reality show that this dispensation is,” he continued, “but before doing so, the party should have at least done its homework regarding the big and, in hindsight, false claims of toppling the PTI government.”
Another relatively younger party leader, while acknowledging internal unease, presented a more pragmatic view. “The reality remains that constitutional law and human rights are now topics on the party platform. In reality, there are other considerations,” he said.
He added that the party did not want to lose favor with the establishment. “A lot of things should work in our favor,” he said, suggesting that the PPP was “on the verge of forming a government in AJK”.
“This cowardly act by the KP governor may have reflected poorly on the party, but the benefits of remaining in the good graces far outweighed the passing stigma of our current decision-making process.”
Senior party leader Qamar Zaman Kaira, speaking to The Express PK Press Club, admitted that “the oath controversy was in bad taste and ideally it should not have taken place.”
