TOBA TEK SINGH, Dec 15: A ruling PML group of Chaudhry Amjad Ali Warraich, an MNA from Gojra, and former district nazim Chaudhry Ashfaq on Friday picked away 10 councillors of the union council No 81, Pirmahal, to make a display of numerical strength against UC nazim Chaudhry Sultan Ahmad on Dec 18.

Chaudhry Sultan, who had also been elected district naib nazim, is currently on a tour abroad and the ruling party faction seems to have taken advantage of his absence.

A day earlier, the group had succeeded in uniting the 10 councillors on their platform and presented a no-trust move against the UC nazim after getting the signatures of all of them. The fate of the motion will be decided on Dec 18.

The rival group had just arranged a meeting of the councillors which elected Nisar Ahmad Baloch as acting convener of the house (as UC naib nazim Imdad Ali Noori is in Dubai on a three-day tour). The nine other councillors — Riaz Sargana, Ramzan Janoo, Dilawar Husain, Ramzan Jani, Abdul Hakim, Gulzar Masih, Rafiqan Bibi, Zubaida Bibi and Nasim Kausar — presented no-trust move against nazim. The acting convener fixed Dec 18 to discuss the motion.

It is pertinent to mention that Chaudhry Sultan had defeated Chaudhry Sajjad Sohail, a brother-in-law of MNA Chaudhry Amjad Warraich, to become naib nazim.

Political analysts see the no-trust move as the loser’s attempt to dethrone his rival who has gone to the UK on a month’s leave.

If the motion is approved in the absence of Sultan, he will lose his naib nazim’s post and Warraich will be in a position to demand that the chief minister should fulfill his promise by awarding party ticket to his brother-in-law, they say.

They apprehend that the situation will also create difficulties for District Nazim Chaudhry Abdul Sattar.

Meanwhile, a source told Dawn that Chaudhry Sultan had been informed about the move and he might return to Pakistan in a day or two.

CASE: The Anti-Corruption Establishment on Friday registered a case against sub-inspector Rana Nisar Ahmad on the charge of getting job in the police department by producing fake academic certificate.