LAHORE, Nov 13: The opponents of sitting Aptma chairman Waqar Monnoo are contemplating to bring a no-confidence motion to seek his removal from the office following the rejection of their “compromise formula” by him and his supporters.

The compromise formula, drafted at a meeting of over 100 Aptma members on Wednesday, called for Mr Waqar’s voluntary resignation from the office and incorporation of certain important amendments to Aptma’s constitution to reform the organization.

“The constitutional amendments proposed by the dissenters were meant to tighten financial controls to prevent misuse of funds in future, change the existing one-man one vote rule to allow voting rights to each member on the basis of proportional representation (according to the number of spindles, looms, or processors a mill has), and strengthening the rules barring a default member from casting his vote(s),” a senior Aptma member, privy to the meeting of dissenters held at the residence of Mian Muhammad Mansha, told Dawn here on Thursday.

He said Mr Waqar was offered his re-election with consensus by both the groups had he agreed to resign voluntarily accepting the formula.

“Since he has not agreed to the formula, we are free to follow any course of action necessary to remove Mr Waqar,” he said.

Another member said they had already gathered 100 resignations and were planning to call general body meeting to remove Mr Waqar through a no trust motion. He said another 50 members had already promised to support the no trust motion against the chairman that reflected the growing resentment against him.

In reply to a question, he said the “dissenters” would form a “new, clean Aptma” if the no-confidence against Mr Waqar failed.

In the meanwhile, zonal chairmen of Sindh and NWFP — Dewan Ayub Madni Khalid and Usman Saifullah — and Punjab’s senior vice-chairman Adil Mahmood have also handed their resignations to Mian Abdullah, who was made chairman of the Committee of Elders set up by dissenters to negotiate with the ruling group and chalk out future course of action.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Waqar rejected the demand of his opponents to step down. “Why should I resign. Have I done anything wrong?,” he asked.

“I’m not going to be blackmailed. I resigned as chairman after my election (in September) as a consensus candidate in the larger interest of Aptma. This time I’m not going to do so,” he said.

When asked if he intended to contact his critics to save Aptma from the possible break-up, he replied: “Why should I go to them? They have problems. They should come to me. They have been threatening to quit Aptma for the last three weeks, but I have not seen even a single resignation so far. I doubt they would quit Aptma.”

He accused Mian Mansha of using his “clout as a bank owner and Gohar Ejaz of using his influence in the government to create dissent within Aptma against him”. Commenting on the demand for selection of a consensus chairman of Aptma, he said: “When I became the chairman through consensus, I was told to contest election. Now that I have won election, I’m being told to resign so that a consensus candidate can be chosen. What on earth do they want? These ideas have been floated by Mian Tariq Saigol because he wants to be in everything. I wonder if he is the only wisest mind in this country?”

When contacted, Tariq Saigol said he did not have any “grudge” against anyone and it was “evident from the number of members who had already handed their resignations to Mian Abdullah”.

Terming Mr Waqar as a contentious chairman, he added it was he who had made it a matter of ego. “I just want to save Aptma that was nourished by my father.”

In answer to a question, he said it was to be decided by Aptma members whether they wanted to throw the sitting chairman out, or form a new organization. “I cannot say anything on their behalf.” However, he said: “We may join the new body if it suited us.”