SAHIWAL: Senior local leaders of the PML-N have shown their reservations about the nomination of close relatives of the PML-N minister and MPA and office-bearers of the party for the reserved seats of district council and municipal corporation of Sahiwal.

They think that the brothers, sons and close relatives of the party parliamentarians and office-bearers are in the contest to be pitched for mayorship as anyone from them can contest for the big seat once elected on a reserved seat.

Malik Qasim Nadeem, son of Punjab Minister for Ushr and Zakat Malik Nadeem Kamran, and Rao Nazir Farid, district secretary general of PML-N, have submitted their nomination papers for technocrats seats in DC and MC of Sahiwal.

In the same manner, Malik Muhammad Shahid and Malik Muhammad Amir, both brothers of the PML-N MPA Malik Arshad, have filed nomination papers against youth seats.

Around 130 candidates have submitted nomination papers for reserved seats for district council (DC) and two municipal corporations (MC) of Kameer and Sahiwal under the newly amended local government ordinance.

Meanwhile, five candidates of Langriyal group have been elected unopposed on the reserved seats of rural UC 87, tehsil Chichawatni.

All these winners belong to former minister Malik Iqbal Langriyal’s group and they were elected after nobody submitted nomination papers against them on reserved seats. Those who won are: Nadeem Akbar (farmer), Asif Iqbal (youth), Nusrat Bibi and Shamim Bibi (women) and Shaukat Maseeh on minority seat. This UC chairman’s ​election ​was won by an independent Muhammad Yousaf Jutt.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2016