GUJRAT: All (22) but one independently elected chairmen of rural union councils in the Gujrat district have formally submitted their statements of joining political parties on the last date of declaring their affiliation here on Wednesday.
Fifteen of the independents have joined the ruling PML-N and seven others have become part of the opposition PML-Q.
Three of them have submitted contradictory declarations leaving the returning officers and the district election commission in confusion as earlier they had filed official forms of joining the PML-N and now they have submitted their declarations of joining the PML-Q.
These three chairmen, whose affiliation is yet to be determined, are Adeel Warraich (Akhlasgarh UC), Nauman Sarfraz (Lakhanwal UC) and Ilyas Dhudra (Chak Kamala UC).
The ruling PML-N claims that 18 independently elected chairmen have joined the party, including those three who have submitted their applications of joining the PML-Q.
Official sources at the Additional Director Local Government said the ruling party had provided officials forms of declarations of joining the party by 18 members.
They said those who joined the PML-N had submitted their affiliation declarations through ruling party lawmakers.
They said among them six independents filed their papers through MNA Abid Raza Kotla, three each through MPA Mian Tariq Mehmood and MPA Malik Hanif Awan, two through MPA Nawabzada Haider Mehdi and one through MNA Jaafar Iqbal Fatta Bhand.
All the aforementioned lawmakers of the ruling party have been lobbying for their family members to win the party nomination for the top slot of Gujrat district council except for Hanif Awan, also a district president of the PML-N, whose sympathies are said to be with MPA Mian Tariq’s scion Mian Sher Afghan for the party ticket.
Independent chairmen who have joined the PML-N are Muhammad Rafiq (Tanda UC), Muhammad Maqsood Bharaj (UC), Rukhsar Ahmed (Adowal UC), Khalid Mehdi (Chakori Bhelowal UC), Manzoor Ahmed (Ghaseetpur UC), Mian Sheraz Ahmed (Barnali UC), Ghulam Fareed (Chakori Sher Ghazi UC), Manzoor Hussain (Masoompur UC), Shafaqat Shah (Qasba UC), Najamul Hassan Bhatti (Sabowal UC), Zameer Raja (Dhuni UC, Mushtaq Ahmed (Panjan Kassana UC), Tanveer Ashraf (Khawaspur UC), Malik Iqbal (Malka UC) and Faheem Sarwar (Kakrali UC).
Official sources said that Mian Arshad Hayat, independently elected chairman of Kolian Shah Hussain UC who is the brother of former Punjab caretaker chief minister and PTI stalwart Mian Afzal Hayat, has joined the PML-Q.
The other independents who have joined the Q as per the party claims are Tanveer Warraich (Bhagowal UC), Saifullah Sahi (Tapiala Sahian UC), Ghulam Rasool Shariq (Saroki UC), Adeel Warraich (Akhlasgarh UC), Ilyas Dhudra (Chak Kamala UC) and Nauman Sarfraz (Lakhanwal UC).
District Election Commissioner Majid Sharif Dogar said that he still had not received the list of declarations of the independents joining the political parties from the ROs.
He said he could not say anything about the contradictory declarations made by some independents as the matter would be dealt legally.
Another official said though there was an ambiguity in the law dealing with such cases, the authorities concerned could get the confusion cleared by summoning and recording statements of the elected chairmen and councilors.
Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2016