Asif Zardari re-elected as PPPP President

ISLAMABAD – Asif Ali Zardari has been re-elected as President of the Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians days after his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was elected again as PPP chairman.

The elections for office-bearers of PPP and PPPP were held at Bilawal House Karachi, said a PPP statement. Asif Ali Zardari was elected as President PPPP, Farhatullah Babar as Secretary General, Saleem Mandviwalla as Finance Secretary and Shazia Marri as Secretary Information. 

All the office-bearers were elected for a period of four years. Marri has replaced Nafisa Shah as the Secretary Information while the other three top office-bearers remain the same.

The PPPP was formed in 2002 from within the PPP to counter a law that prohibited the parties led by convicted leaders from contesting the polls. 

Because of military ruler Pervez Musharraf’s 2002 decree Benazir Bhutto was also not permitted to stand for elections. The law – now scrapped – also banned individuals from becoming prime minister for a third term.

Office-bearers are elected for a period of four years | Marri replaces Nafisa Shah

In response to these obstacles, the PPP split, registering a new distinct branch called the PPPP. Legally separate and free from the restrictions brought upon the PPP by Bhutto’s leadership, the PPPP participated in the 2002 elections, in which it proceeded to earn a strong vote.

The PPPP contested again in 2008 to win the general polls for the PPP and in 2013 to end up as the second largest bloc in the National Assembly. It won elections in Sindh to form the provincial government.

Bialwal and Zardari only hold official position in one branch of the party to meet a condition of the Election Commission of Pakistan. The ECP deems no individual can hold positions in two parties simultaneously. As per the Political Parties Order 2002, appointments in multiple parties were violation of regulations.

While both Bilawal and Zardari have the same say in the PPP or the PPPP, they officially lead the separate branches. The PPPP still remains the official representative of the party in the parliament and the provincial assemblies. 

The PPP has a separate election symbol too. The PPPP has been contesting on the election symbol of ‘arrow’ and the PPP has been allotted ‘sword’ by the ECP.