GUJRAT: Aimed at having an equal share in the local administrative and uplift affairs at par with the coalition partner, the PML-Q, the PML-N local cadres in Gujrat have emphasised forging unity among their ranks by ignoring all internal differences.

This was decided by the ruling party’s former lawmakers, ticket-holders and officials at a meeting at Sara-i-Alamgir the other day. The meeting was hosted by former PML-N Gujrat president and ex-MNA Malik Haneef Awan who had been striving to resolve the differences among his party cadres for the last two months and finally brought the key party players together to forge unity, a participant in the meeting told Dawn.

PML-N Gujranwala division president Abid Raza Kotla, MNA Naseer Abbas Sidhu, former adviser to prime minister Nawabzada Ghazanfar Ali Gul, former state minister Chaudhry Jaafar Iqbal Fatta Bhand, Ex-MNA Jameel Awan, former Punjab minister Mian Tariq Mehmood Dinga, former MPAs Moin Nawaz Warraich and Haji Imran Zafar, Gujrat district president Tahirul Mulk and coordinator youth wing Ali Warraich Kulachor were among the participants of meeting.

Mr Awan said Mr Kotla had shown serious concerns at the dominance of PML-Q in the affairs of district Gujrat despite the fact that his party was the senior coalition partner both in Islamabad and Punjab.

However, it is learnt that most of the participants were of the opinion that the local representatives of the party should understand their central leadership’s position and political compulsions in the current situation but they also stressed exerting pressure on the leadership to have equal share in the uplift schemes and administrative affairs without resorting to any boycott.

Talking to Dawn, MNA Naseer Abbas Sidhu said a better working relationship with the PML-Q as well as the administrative authorities could pay more dividends to the PML-N in Gujrat, particularly in the wake of future challenges regarding the PTI.

Talking to the media after the meeting, Mr Kotla, Haneef Awan and others said they were standing by their party’s leadership but any kind of violation of merit and policy of ignoring the PML-N would not be acceptable in Gujrat where the party had been a strong political power.

They asserted that the party was united in the area and such meetings would regularly be held at least for once in a month to create a better understanding and consultations on the political situation. They assured the party workers that they would never be left alone.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2024