August 4, 2002	Sunday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 24,1423

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ISLAMABAD, Aug 3: Pakistan Muslim League (N) on Saturday elected Mian Shahbaz Sharif new party president and elevated his elder brother and former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif to a ceremonial position of “Quaid-i-Muslim League”.

Contrary to the announcement made by the party’s central working committee on Friday, Mian Shahbaz Sharif was elected unopposed at the general council meeting held at a farm house in a remote corner of the federal capital.

In the sweltering heat and humidity party members gathered from all over the country only to endorse the move planned by the party leaders in complete secrecy.

The overnight change in the decision of the central working committee is being viewed with keen interest by the political circles here who suspect behind-the-scene “hobnobbing,” by party leaders with powers that be.

“Technically speaking, the position of Quaid-i-Muslim League is a ceremonial one, but it has much political significance,” Syed Zafar Ali Shah told Dawn after the ballot.

Through this move the PML(N) has given a clear message to the military government that Nawaz Sharif and his family are still relevant in our politics, he said.

The forces that had been enacting black laws to eliminate PML(N) and Sharif family from the political arena would get the message loud and clear that every move aimed at ousting Nawaz Sharif or Sharif family from the national politics was bound to fail, he added.

The message given to the government and other political forces was that the PML(N) was fully united under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif to contest the elections, he added.

Zafar Ali Shah said that provincial organizations of the party and the CWC expressed their full faith and confidence in the leadership of Nawaz Sharif and gave him the mandate to nominate anyone from amongst the party new president.

Raja Zafarul Haq proposed the name of Shahbaz Sharif for the post of president, while Saranjam Khan seconded the proposal. No other member submitted papers for the post hence Shahbaz Sharif was elected unopposed.

Earlier, Syed Zafar Ali Shah placed a number of amendments, including the creation of the post of Quaid-i-Muslim League, before the general council, which were unanimously approved by the house.

The party constitution has been amended with a view to bringing it in line with the Political Parties Order, 2002, Mr Shah said.

The general council also retained Raja Zafarul Haq, Saranjam Khan and Javed Hashmi as the chairman, secretary-general and senior vice-president respectively. They were also elected unopposed.