GUJRAT, Aug 12: The Chaudhrys have identified 12 Kharian tehsil council members who allegedly ditched them by voting for tehsil nazim Nadeem Asghar Kaira during a no-trust move on Aug 7, it is learnt here on Saturday.
Sources say after the failure of the no-trust move, the Chaudhrys have initiated work on several proposals to oust the tehsil nazim.
The Chaudhrys had convened a meeting of the council members on Aug 6, a day before the voting was held in connection with the no-trust move, at Nat House where around 50 members assured them of their support for the no-trust move. However, in the house, which comprised 61 members, only 51 polled their votes (through secret ballot), and to the Chaudhrys’ utter surprise, Kaira survived the move by six votes as it was supported by only 35 members against the required number of 41. The result figures showed that 10 members voted for Kaira, while six votes were rejected by the returning officer.
Soon after the failure of the move, District Nazim Chaudhry Shafaat Hussain convened another meeting of the members at Zahoor Palace where he sought resignations from 50 house members. The members, who gave resignations, included 36 naib-nazim and the convener Irfan Naseer Marala. The district nazim, however, asked the convener to withdraw his resignation. Later, the convener dispatched the 49 resignations to the election commission.
Kharian PML comprised several groups, including Shahs of Qulewal Syedan, Kotlas, Maralas, Bhadar, Dinga and Kolian Shah Hussain. Three PPP politicians, including MNA Rahman Naseer Marala, former advisor to CM Naeem Raza and former caretaker chief minister Mian Afzal Hayat had joined the PML in 2002. Former district naib-nazim Syed Noorul Hasan Shah, former provincial minister Mian Tariq Mahmood of Dinga and former MPA Liaqat Bhadar are the old leaguers.
Cracks had appeared in the local PML before the elections for the tehsil nazim slot in 2005. Rahman Naseer Marala and Naeem Raza had asked the Chaudhrys to give the ticket to Mian Tariq, but Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain recommended Syed Noorul Hasan Shah for the slot, who was accordingly declared the ruling party candidate. However, Shah was defeated at the hands of Kaira by a slight margin of two votes.
Sources privy to the PML’s local leadership say the differences in the party have deepened in the wake of failure of the no-trust move. They say that the Chaudhrys have conducted a secret probe into the causes of failure of the no-trust move, and identified 12 members who allegedly ditched them by not voting in favour of the move. According to them, the renegade members belong to Marala, Kolian Shah Hussain, Dinga, Amra, Noonanwali, Kotla Qasim Khan, and Tahir union councils. The remaining members, accused of opposing the move, have been elected on special seats, including a minority member from Lalamusa, they say.
The sources say the list of the renegade members is with District Nazim Chaudhry Shafaat Hussain. The Chaudhrys have decided to ask the 12 members to quit the PML at a party meeting to be held within a couple of days, they add.
According to the sources, various proposals to oust Kaira are being mulled by the Chaudhrys, which include tehsil nazim’s suspension by the chief minister, moving courts on the issue of secrecy of the ballot and leveling harassment allegations against the nazim.