GUJRAT: The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid may pitch Pervez Akhtar Pagganwala as its candidate for the Gujrat Municipal Corporation mayor slot.

Though the PML-Q could win only three out of 12 urban union councils of the city, with ruling PML-N winning eight and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf only one, local party cadres have advised the senior leadership that the arena should not be left open to the ruling party, sources said.

So consultation is on to launch the party’s own candidate for the mayor slot, they added.

According to sources, a meeting was held between former provincial education minister Mian Imran Masood, who had been contesting general elections from the city’s provincial constituency PP-111 and former UC Nazim Ali Ibrar Jaura of the PML-Q a few days ago on fielding candidate for the mayor slot.

The PPP faction of the Pagganwala family, including former MNA after the meeting, Mr Jaura formally asked his party leadership to pitch Pervez Pagganwala as party candidate for the mayor seat, assuring it of support of some PML-N members, besides those of PTI, because of “rift” within the ruling party ranks.

Pervez Pagganwala, a veteran local government politician who had never lost any election since 1998 and remained winner in 2001 and 2005 local polls, had won the UC 10 chairman seat in the city on Oct 31 and is being tipped for the party nomination for the mayor slot.

Sameena Mushtaq Pagganwala, also the party’s district president, had extended unconditional support to Pervez Pagganwala in the UC election.

The PML-Q has already announced it would contest for the slot of Gujrat district council chairman with the help of independents and PTI members.

Former district nazim Chaudhry Shafaat Husain, the youngest brother of Chaudhry Shujaat Husain, is being tipped as Shujaat Group’s frontrunner for the slot.

However, Mr Husain, will first have to grab a reserved seat to become a member of the district council as per rules.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2015