RAWALPINDI: With the announcement of the schedule for local bodies elections in Punjab, the ruling PML-N sprang into action trying to bridge differences between local leaders to ensure success in the September polls.

In the cantonment board elections held on April 25, the ruling party led by Nawaz Sharif had won an absolute majority by bagging 19 of 20 seats in the garrison city.

As a representative of PML-N Punjab chapter, Minister for Labour Ashfaq Sarwar has invited all PML-N leaders and office-bearers from the city to the Punjab House in Islamabad today (Wednesday) to quell infighting and finalise a strategy for the polls.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif who also holds the office of PML-N Punjab President has already constituted committees which would select candidates for each constituency of the national assembly.

However, a senior PML-N leader told Dawn that these committees failed to finalise the list before Eidul Fitr due to differences among party members in many areas.

“The differences among the local leaders forced the party to call the meeting so that a joint strategy could be made,” he said.

The PML-N leader said that in the garrison city, there are three main groups led by Chaudhry Tanveer Khan, Hanif Abbasi and Sardar Naseem commonly known as Chaudhry Nisar patronised group, he said.

He said that Sardar Naseem was the PML-N City Chapter president but was not included in the committee for finalisation of candidates in NA-56 from Faizabad to Chandni Chowk.

“He is also not heading the committee for NA-55 as Shakil Awan is heading the committee,” he said.

Similarly, he said, a number of party workers and supporters in the constituency of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan (NA-52) are resentful because Senator Chaudhry Tanveer Khan was also not included in the selection committee.

“Shahbaz Sharif has appointed Chaudhry Nisar as the head of the committee but he would not be consulting workers directly and his coordinator would work on his behalf,” he said.

The party leader said the party also lost one seat during the cantonment board elections at Sir Syed Chowk area of Chaklala Cantonment, because of differences between local leaders.

“Three candidates associated with PML-N ran for the same seat,” he said.

In light of this experience, the PML-N leader said the party decided to field one candidate for each seat.

PML-N leader and former MNA Malik Shakil Awan confirmed that the party called a meeting at the Punjab House to finalise the strategy for the upcoming local government elections.

He said that Raja Ashfaq Sarwar will also share some new instructions from the top party leadership aimed at ending differences between the workers at the union council level.

PML-N MNA Tahira Aurangzeb told Dawn that the party leaders would make decisions regarding women councillors and other candidates during the meeting.

In response to a question, she said, the party would give preference to those women who worked for the party during the difficult time following the military coup by Pervez Musharraf in 1999.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2015

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