LAHORE, June 6: The PML-N will elect its central office-bearers on July 30 and there will be no major change in the existing organisational setup, highly placed party sources say.

This means Mian Shahbaz Sharif will be re-elected president, Raja Zafarul Haq chairman, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra secretary-general and Ahsan Iqbal information secretary.

Internal party elections are mandatory for every party which is to take part in the general election.

There were speculations that former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif may come forward and replace his brother Shahbaz Sharif. The former prime minister’s speech at a party meeting in London had strengthened the impression.

He had told his party colleagues that although his brother was heading the party, all decisions were being taken by him. He had also not liked the title of ‘rehbar’ for himself as he was “too young” for the office.

“It will not look nice if we replace Mian Shahbaz Sharif at this stage”, said a senior leader having a role in decision making.

A former chief minister of Punjab, Shahbaz Sharif was elected president of the party before the 2002 general election to ward off legal complications.

Since former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had been convicted before being banished to Saudi Arabia, legal experts had advised the party to elect somebody else as the party chief to enable the PML-N to qualify for the general election. It was argued that the party could be kept out of the electoral process if Mian Nawaz Sharif was retained as it head.

Although then president Rafiq Tarar had ‘reprieved all sentences’ of the former prime minister, it had become a debatable issue if he could still lead the party.

The matter was discussed with the former prime minister and he approved the name of his brother as his successor.

PML-N sources said that the central office-bearers of the party would be elected on July 30.

Elections for the provincial organisations will be held before that date.

There are reports that most of the provincial office-bearers would also be retained in their present positions because of their performance.