Pakistan People's Party (PPP) chairperson Benazir Bhutto has convened a joint meeting of central executive, federal & provincial councils, district presidents and ticket seekers for next general elections. The meeting is schedule to be held in London in the second week of July.
However party's founder members and ideological activists have strongly reacted on inviting them in London and said that they cannot afford Rs 100,000 to visit London besides payment of Rs 30,000 for ticket. They said in fact, party leadership wants to keep away the founder members from election and it wants to oblige the feudal lords, capitalists, and others who earned the wealth easily.
It may be recalled that Benazir Bhutto has informed her party's central secretariat that all members who have applied for party tickets, along with current parliamentarians, are eligible to attend the party board meeting in London next month.
According to party sources, Bhutto made the announcement after senior party members expressed concern over the previous decision that only members short-listed by the board could attend. After being contacted by party leaders from all provinces and the centre, Bhutto agreed that it was the right of all aspiring parliamentarians to attend the meeting to present their case.
Bhutto directed the party's central secretariat to take care of all formalities such as visas and tickets so that eligible party members could attend the meeting, scheduled for July and to be chaired by Benazir Bhutto herself. PPP leader Qasim Zia confirmed the report and said that all parliamentarians and aspirants for party tickets who had been interviewed by board would attend the meeting in London.