RAWALPINDI, June 9: Plans to split Rawalpindi city district into two town governments have ignited wranglings among competing political interests in the ruling Pakistan Muslim League party. Political circles say Federal Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed is not opposed to the idea, but only if his urban power base remains intact.

They point out that Mr Ahmed had won both the National Assembly seats of the city in the last elections on the strength of the urban vote and prides himself to be called Farzand-i- Rawalpindi.

“I have always done politics in the city areas and have little connection with the rural politics,” a source quoted the minister as telling a meeting which discussed how to divide the city’s 46 urban and 34 rural union councils into two towns. Mr Ahmed was said to have proposed that the urban councils be kept intact and the rural councils form the other town.

However, his group in the ruling Pakistan Muslim League is proposing the division of city with Murree Road acting as the divider. This group is led by Raja Basharat, the provincial minister for law and local government, another son of the city. They propose setting up two towns, City Town and Rawal Town, each having 40 union councils. Under this plan certain urban union councils would be amalgamated with rural union councils to form one town and similarly the other town.