PESHAWAR: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is likely to take disciplinary action against some senior leaders for organising meetings against provincial president of the party as it has issued a show-cause notice to a former provincial minister.

PML-N provincial secretary information Ikhtiar Wali Khan told this correspondent that the party issued show-cause notice to one of its senior leaders and former provincial minister Abdul Subhan Khan of Mardan to explain his participation in meetings held recently wherein the participants demanded replacement of provincial president Engineer Amir Muqam.

According to the spokesman Arbab Khizer Hayat had nothing to do with the party and thus media should avoid giving him coverage as PML-N leader. However, the spokesman avoided sharing further information about the rest of participants.

He said that former governor Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan, who is one of the close aides of the party’s supremo Nawaz Sharif, violated the party discipline during election in the past. Similarly, another former governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, he said, also returned party tickets in 2018 elections and declined to contest polls from PML-N platform.

Notice served on former minister for demanding replacement of Amir Muqam

“Holding of meetings against PML-N provincial president Amir Muqam and provincial general secretary Murtaza Javed Abbasi is tantamount to revolt because they have been appointed by party chief Nawaz sharif,” said Mr Wali. He said that those violating the party discipline might have selected some other political parties to join as there was no room in PML-N for such people.

Amir Muqam participates in different social gatherings, including wedding ceremonies and funerals in far flung areas of the province, but despite that some senior leaders of his party have started raising voice for his replacement.

Insiders said that differences in the party surfaced when some senior leaders started holding separate meetings, which were also attended by two former governors Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan Abbasi; two former provincial ministers Malik Jehanzeb, Abdul Subhan Khan; and many sitting office-bearers of the party as well.

“Differences are not new things. In most of decisions in the party seniors were not consulted even about visits of the top party leaders including Maryam Nawaz Sharif to the province,” the insiders, who participated in the meetings, told this correspondent.

They also accused the provincial president of accommodating his close friends in the board of directors of Peshawar Electric Supply Company and in the caretaker provincial cabinet.

They said that ideological workers would convene a grand meeting after Eidul Fitr to devise an effective plan for replacement of the provincial president. They expressed the hope that party chief Nawaz Sharif would take notice of the growing differences very soon.

“We have rendered sacrifices for the party and will do so in future. There is no grouping in the party and our efforts are meant to save the party from destruction,” they claimed.

The insiders feared that in case they did not raise voice at that stage, the provincial president would not consult them during distribution of party tickets for the next general elections.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2023