KARACHI, July 30: Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim and Nadir Akmal Leghari claimed on Sunday they were re-elected unopposed as president and secretary-general of the provincial chapter of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League.
According to a handout issued from the CM House, no one else had filed nomination papers.
Councilors of the party will approve the election of the provincial party chief through a resolution on Monday in a convention for which 506 councillors have been nominated. The resolution would also authorise the re-elected president to nominate other office-bearers of the provincial and district bodies.
Political analysts viewed the re-election of Arbab Rahim, ahead of Aug 1 meeting summoned by the president to resolve the political Sindh crisis, as a significant development. Insiders said the result might prove double-edged for Mr Arbab. “It can strengthen his position and he may stay as the chief minister for some more time or it can serve as the basis for asking him to relinquish the government post,” they said.
But the re-election has already become controversial after some senior members of the party complained that they had not been informed about the election or its date.
The chief minister had announced on Saturday that the election for the provincial president and secretary-general would be held on July 31. The decision to re-elect Arbab Rahim and Nadir Leghari as president and secretary-general was taken in a meeting held on Saturday. It was also attended by PML Secretary-General Senator Mushahid Hussain, Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani and Irfanullah Marwat.
Some senior party leaders in the province declared it to be a ‘clear violation’ of the party constitution and were reported to have lodged their protest with the party chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Secretary Senator Mushahid Hussain. They complained that they were informed about the election, but nomination papers were not available for candidates who aspired to contest the poll.
They alleged that 506 ‘favourites’ had been nominated as councillors without adopting a proper membership process.
The enrollment of 100 members as party workers was the criterion for nomination of councillor. However, a senior provincial party leader complained that no membership drive was launched, nor any camp was set up in any part of the province for the campaign.
Senior vice-president Maqbool Shaikh said he had neither been informed about the election nor invited to the convention. He said that if it was party policy that the chief minister would retain the post of provincial party chief, then there should be an ‘open’ election for the post of secretary-general.
