ISLAMABAD, Dec 17: Salim Saifullah Khan was elected unopposed as secretary-general of the PML-Q on Tuesday, because no other party candidate had filed nomination papers to contest for the office against him.

The party had fixed Tuesday noon as the deadline to file the nomination papers for the election of secretary-general by the general council on Dec 20. The seat fell vacant following Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali assumed office of the prime minister. But Saifullah was nominated by the premier as acting secretary-general of the party.

Engineer Fazal Hussain, additional secretary-general and incharge of party elections, told newsmen after passage of the deadline that he had received only Saifullah’s papers.

Saifullah Khan was proposed by Col Ghulam Sarwar Cheema (Rtd), and hence he was sure to be elected unopposed.

The appointment/nomination of Salim Saifullah Khan, who is also president of the NWFP chapter of the PML-Q, triggered controversy among party top brass and resulted in a no-trust move signed by majority members of the general council against Mian Azhar.