RAWALPINDI: A joint candidate of PML-N and Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Chaudhry Changaiz Khan was elected unopposed as vice-president of Chaklala Cantonment Board (CCB) on Thursday.

He is the brother of PML-N senator Chaudhry Tanveer Khan.

The board meeting held at CCB offices with Station Commander Brigadier Salman Nazar in the chair and attended by CCB officials 12 elected members.

PML-N got five seats in Sept 12 cantonment board elections, Jamaat-i-Islami two , PTI secured two seats and one seat was clinched by an independent candidate. After election on two special seats, PML-N got one seat of labour and JI won a minority seat.

Before the election, PML-N and Jamaat-i-Islami reached an agreement according to which PML-N and JI will alternatively run the board for first two years while in the remaining two years, PML-N member will be the vice president of the cantonment board.

PTI’s Chaudhry Noman Shaukat did not file his papers against the PML-N and JI candidate.

On Thursday, CCB President Brigadier Salman Nazar administered the oath of two members elected on special seats. PML-N’s Khurram Siddique was elected on labour seat and JI’s Shehzad George on minority.

After oath taking and election of vice president, the board took up the agenda of CCB and gave approval to commercial and domestic building plans.

It also approved the revised PC-I of redesigning of Ammar Chowk underpass project. Under the PC-I, the provincial government will provide an extra Rs1 billion to the construction company Frontier Works Organisation.

The board formed a special committee comprising elected members to look into the members proposal to extend the tax exemption scheme to five marla houses.

The board also asked Wapda to reschedule its lease agreement with CCB for its land on Marir Chowk where the authority has set up its offices and hospital. The board was informed that the Wapda was still paying less money for the land located on prime location.

Former Vice President Raja Irfan Imtiaz raised the issues of graveyard and drinking water in Chaklala Cantonment.

CCB Vice President Chaudhry Changiz Khan thanked the House for electing him unopposed and assured to serve the residents of the cantonment board without any discrimination.

He expressed the hope that the elected members of PML-N and other parties would work hard to solve the problems of cantonment areas.

After the meeting, former PML-N MNA Malik Ibrar Ahmed, former members of Punjab Assembly Raja Arshad, Chaudhry Sarfraz Afzal reached the cantonment board and congratulated Vice President Chaudhry Changiz Khan.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2021