FAISALABAD, Sept 5: The Punjab chief minister’s decision to nominate MNA Chaudhry Ghulam Rasool Sahi as district nazim candidate and Mian Amjad Yaseen for naib-nazim slot has confused the local PML leadership which has been backing MNA Asim Nazir for the top office. With this development, Asim Nazir’s family, which has been running the defunct Zila Council affairs for the last 13 years and enjoys considerable influence in the rural as well as urban areas of the district, is reportedly feeling betrayed by the government.

MNA Asim Nazir, who is younger brother of former district nazim Zahid Nazir and son-in-law of former Toba Tek Singh district nazim Chaudhry Muhammad Ashfaq, was reportedly forced by Punjab chief minister to contest for the city district government office as ruling party candidate instead of Zahid Nazir. Almost all the PML’s MNAs and MPAs from the district, excluding Punjab Assembly Speaker Afzal Sahi and his brother MNA Ghulam Rasool Sahi, were unanimous that Asim Nazir be fielded as PML candidate which resulted in his nomination for the slot.

However, Punjab chief minister reversed his decision and nominated Ghulam Rasool Sahi as the PML-backed nominee.

According to local political pundits, the Arain biradari, being the second largest in the district believes that they had been betrayed by the PML leadership as not a single person from their clan has been nominated for the top slots of the eight towns and the city district.

The PML circles admit that the candidates for the town nazims have been facing a great deal of difficulty to win over the support of councillors, who are die-hard supporters of Asim Nazir family.

The PPP and the PML-N leaders are still not clear about fielding a consensus candidate for the top slots of the city district and the towns.

ELECTROCUTED: An electrician of the DHQ Hospital was electrocuted here on Monday.