SIALKOT, Aug 24: The PML divided groups have refused to support the Ajmal Cheema outfit’s nominee for district nazim’s office. The Cheema group had nominated on Tuesday Muhammad Akmal Cheema, ex-Sialkot tehsil nazim, for the district nazim office.

The PML high command, however, is still silent over its choice for the top district slot despite being inclined towards National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Ameer Husain’s group.

Besides the speaker’s group, the Variyo group (which won the highest number of UC nazim seats), and Azeem Noori group have rejected the Cheema group’s move. Differences among the ruling PML five groups aggravated by the fresh conflict.

Meanwhile, each of them has been claiming maximum support by UC nazims and councillors.

The speaker claims to have support of 60 UC nazims and a good number of councillors while PML’s ex-district naib nazim Chaudhry Arsal Waqar Ghuman claims support of 46 UC nazims out of the 124 and a number of councillors.

According to Punjab Industries Minister Ajmal Cheema, his group is being backed by 80 UC nazims besides a number of councillors for the election of his younger brother, Akmal Cheema, for the district nazims’ slot.

Sambrial-based Punjab Public Accounts Committee chairman Azeem Noori Ghuman says 35 UC nazims and hundreds of councillors are supporting his group for the district nazim and Sambrial tehsil nazim’s slots.

Claiming support of 70 nazims and many councillors, former district nazim Mian Naeem Javed is hopeful that his nominees will get to the tehsil nazim slots in Sialkot, Daska, Sambrial and Pasrur, besides the district nazim’s office.

VARIYO GROUP: Meanwhile, Chaudhry Akhtar Ali Variyo — the head of the family — has formally announced that he would contest election for the Sialkot district nazim’s slot.