LAHORE: Tariq becomes Aptma chief as Mian Adil withdraws
By Our Staff Reporter
LAHORE, Aug 25: Mian Adil Mahmood withdrew his candidature for the office of chairman of provincial organization of Aptma on Wednesday.
With the withdrawal of Mian Adil, his rival Tariq Mahmood was elected unopposed as chairman of the Aptma-Punjab on Thursday.
It may be mentioned that Imran Aslam and Husain A. Fazal have already been elected unopposed as vice-chairman and treasurer for 2004-05 as has been the case with other eight provincial managing committee members.
Now over 170 Aptma-Punjab members will cast votes to elect the senior vice-chairman on Thursday. Two candidates - Akbar Shaikh and Danish Monnoo - are in the run for the office.
Along with Mian Adil, seven candidates of his group contesting for the Central Managing Committee (CMC) from the Punjab also decided to withdraw their candidature. They are Mian Shahzad Salim, Naeem Omar, Shahzad Shaikh, Arif Gulzar, Munir Ahmad, Shahid Mazhar and Omar Virk.
"We have decided to withdraw in the best interest of Aptma as we do not want our organization to split," Mian Adil told Dawn in the evening after filing his withdrawal. He said the "elders" of the association had tried to "convince the ruling group to bring consensus candidates for the offices of central and Punjab chairmen."
"Our elders had offered them (the ruling Jehangir Monnoo-Anjum Salim-Arif Saeed group) to elevate Mr Saeed, outgoing Aptma-Punjab chairman, as central chairman and myself as the provincial chairman. However, our opponents refused to accept the offer made in the best interest and unity of Aptma," Mian Adil said.
Sources in Aptma told this reporter that the elders group that is being backed by Mian Mansha, Mian Tariq Saigol, Mian Abdullah, etc., wanted the ruling group to bring "consensus" candidates. "However, their proposal was turned down because they had demanded central chairmanship for their candidate," they say.
One candidate for the CMC, who has withdrawn his nomination, accused the ruling group of "committing serious irregularities to win the election even after our withdrawal from the contest."
"We knew that they would use every tactic to rig the election. But we did not expect them to use such tactics even after we gave them a free hand by withdrawing from the contest," he said.
An Aptma official, when contacted, denied any "wrong doings" in the election process. "Everything is being done according to the law," he said, adding, "you cannot stop anyone from levelling false accusations."
