LAHORE, March 28: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz central parliamentary board could not complete its task of finalising its candidates in Punjab as deliberations for the purpose continued for the third consecutive day on Thursday.

Not a single nominee for Lahore’s 13 National Assembly and 25 Punjab Assembly seats could be decided while supporters of various contenders clashed with each other at the party’s secretariat in Model Town.

Discussions on nominations for Lahore seats were to start at 3:30 in the afternoon as unlike other districts, presidents and general secretaries of each provincial constituency of Lahore district had been invited to the board meeting.

The meeting formally began only when Nawaz Sharif made his appearance at 6pm and by that time a heated debate had taken place among hopefuls and their supporters (presidents and general secretaries), an insider told Dawn.

The party president asked the officials who were not after tickets for themselves should speak first, the insider said, adding PP-149 president Iqbal Gujjar took the floor and suggested that only locals should be given tickets instead of those whose native town was other than Lahore.

He was endorsed by Yasir Niazi, general secretary of the same constituency. This led to second round of an intense discussion and Nawaz avoided making nominations final and seeing emotional mood of the participants he left the scene.

Soon after coming out of the meeting room, the rivals came from words to blows and Imran Mughal, a stated supporter of former MPA from PP-149 Rana Mashhood, was badly injured.

The injured Mughal alleged that supporters of Lahore chapter chief Pervaiz Malik and secretary-general Khwaja Imran Nazir had attacked him for speaking in favour of Mashhood.

The duo denies the charge claiming that proponents of Mashhood clashed with each other and allege that one Ghulam Abbas Sial had hit Mughal.

Meanwhile, the parliamentary board is indecisive on certain constituencies outside Lahore. Like, NA-101 (Gujranwala), where Hamid Nasir of the PML-Likeminded is an aspirant. It is also learnt that Sumeera Malik, who had returned to the National Assembly from a Khushab seat in the 2008 polls, is being asked to choose a Mianwali seat this time.

Opinion

The Dar story continues

The Dar story continues

One wonders what the rationale was for the foreign minister — a highly demanding, full-time job — being assigned various other political responsibilities.

Editorial

Wheat protests
Updated 01 May, 2024

Wheat protests

The government should withdraw from the wheat trade gradually, replacing the existing market support mechanism with an effective new one over the next several years.
Polio drive
01 May, 2024

Polio drive

THE year’s fourth polio drive has kicked off across Pakistan, with the aim to immunise more than 24m children ...
Workers’ struggle
Updated 01 May, 2024

Workers’ struggle

Yet the struggle to secure a living wage — and decent working conditions — for the toiling masses must continue.
All this talk
Updated 30 Apr, 2024

All this talk

The other parties are equally legitimate stakeholders in the country’s political future, and it must give them due consideration.
Monetary policy
30 Apr, 2024

Monetary policy

ALIGNING its decision with the trend in developed economies, the State Bank has acted wisely by holding its key...
Meaningless appointment
30 Apr, 2024

Meaningless appointment

THE PML-N’s policy of ‘family first’ has once again triggered criticism. The party’s latest move in this...