RAWALPINDI: Finally, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan’s chosen candidate was nominated as the mayor of Rawalpindi city on Tuesday, a senior leader of the PML-N confirmed to Dawn.

Sardar Naseem was nominated by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is also the president of the ruling PML-N, after two-day-long consultations at the Prime Minister House.

Known to be close to Chaudhry Nisar, Sardar Naseem is also the president of the PML-N Rawalpindi city.

Decision to award PML-N ticket to Sardar Naseem was taken by the prime minister

However, the ruling party is yet to finalise the name of the District Council chairman.

Sajjad Khan, who was supported by Hanif Abbasi, and Sheikh Arsalan backed by some party leaders from Lahore and KP failed to get the support of the party leadership for the top slot.

When contacted, Sardar Naseem confirmed that he was given the go-ahead signal by the party for the election to the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC) scheduled to be held on December 22. “I will submit my nomination papers tomorrow,” he said.

A senior leader of the PML-N told Dawn that the party faced problems in finalising the names of candidates. During the local government elections, Sardar Naseem told his supporters that he would become the mayor.

However, he said, newcomers to the PML-N such as Hanif Abbasi and others started a campaign against Sardar Naseem’s candidature after the party won 40 union councils in the city.

Hanif Abbasi wanted to bring a candidate from NA-56 for the top slot of the RMC but things changed when the party decided to finalise the name after consulting with the prime minister.

“Hanif Abbasi gave two names to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for the post of mayor but he referred the list to the prime minister.

“The prime minister preferred the candidate chosen by the interior minister,” he said.

“Things would have changed if Hamza Shahbaz could get any party office in Punjab chapter elections held two months ago.”

Provincial minister for labour Raja Ashfaq Sarwar, who is the PML-N Punjab secretary general, and Sardar Naseem are known to be close to the interior minister,” he said.

“The PML-N decided to not accommodate those who were not in the party or were in the PML-Q during the Musharraf era. Sajjad Khan was the tehsil nazim of the PML-Q and joined the PML-N after Nawaz Sharif returned from the exile.”

He said Sardar Naseem remained loyal to the party during Musharraf’s tenure and helped Kalsoom Nawaz arrange public gatherings in Rawalpindi for the release of Nawaz Sharif from the Attock jail after the 1999 coup.

When contacted, PML-N city general secretary Haji Pervaiz Khan said the decision of the party to give ticket for the slot of mayor was a victory of the party workers as Sardar Naseem was also a worker.

“The decision was made by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan for the betterment of the city. The PML-N will turn Rawalpindi into a developed city within the available resources,” he said.

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2016