THATTA: Arbab Wazir Ahmed Memon, president of Thatta and Sujawal chapters of the Pakistan Peoples Party, has tendered his resignation from the party office in the wake of differences with leadership over nominees for Sujawal chairman although Mr Memon has cited health reasons for the decision, according to sources.

The party sources said on Thursday that the resignation was just a tactic to blackmail the leadership into accepting his demands with regard to chairman of Sujawal district council.

The sources said that Mr Memon, who remained the party’s president for more than a decade, an MNA as well as an adviser to the chief minister, was displeased over nomination of his cousin, Arbab Ibrahim Memon, and another candidate proposed by former MPA Syed Shafique Ahmed Shah to the reserved seats of the Sujawal district council.

The sources said that Mr Memon had differences with the leadership, particularly provincial minister Muhammad Ali Malkani for proposing Haji Usman Malkani for the seat of chairman of Sujawal district council.

He recently disclosed to president of the Thatta press club Mehboob Brohi that he had proposed a few names of suitable candidates for the reserved seats and chairmanship at a recent party meeting in Karachi but he did not receive encouraging response, said the sources.

In spite of that, he said, he had not tendered resignation over this but he had to quit because of his deteriorating health.

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2016