PESHAWAR: PML-N is likely to announce names of the central and provincial councils while intra-party elections are due since Dec 2015. The annoyed workers have announced to resist any unilateral appointments by the central leadership without taking them on board.

Some senior office-bearers of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz told this correspondent on Sunday that the party’s internal election had been due since Dec 2015, but no initiative was taken in this regard so far.

Referring to past experiences, the sources said that the party’s high command used to name office-bearers without any intra-party elections, but workers had never objected to the process. However, this time the annoyed people would not sit silent and demand due share in the party offices, they said.

Vow to oppose nominations for key party seats

When contacted, PML-N provincial vice-president Waqif Khan said that it was the democratic right of the workers to contest elections, express views and give suggestions for strengthening the party.

“We will not accept nomination for any of the party seats and members of the disgruntled group will take active part in the intra-party elections,” he said and asked the party leadership to announce schedule for the elections.

Mr Waqif warned that in case the office-bearers were announced without taking the workers into confidence the annoyed group would challenge it in a relevant court. “We will also not accept the new entrants to become office-bearers on key seats,” said Peshawar district president Abdul Sattar Khalil.

In this regard, he also referred to the party’s decision announced by Nawaz Sharif in Murree that the basic requirement for selection of a central level office-bearer would be at least eight to 10 years of services for the party.

“We have planned to convene a provincial level workers convention in Peshawar during last week of this month where the workers would renew the pledge to continue efforts for survival of party,” he said.

Mr Khalil said that the leadership was bound to complete the provincial and central councils of the party by including all senior people in them. “We have no intimation about intra-party elections and are anxiously waiting for the announcement in this regard,” he said and added that the central leadership should resolve issues with the annoyed workers.

Provincial president Pir Sabir Shah, when contacted, said that the party elections were due, but it was up to the central leadership to announce schedule in this regard. “We cannot take any step at our own because the central council will be formed first and then the provincial council,” he explained. He, however, said that the party high command had the powers to name anyone for any seat.

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2016