LAHORE, Feb 21: Mian Muhammad Riaz, a vice-president of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League in Punjab, has levelled serious charges against the party’s Lahore leadership saying it is ignoring the PML’s constitution while taking important decisions.

Speaking at a news conference here on Wednesday, Mian Riaz lashed out at PML Lahore president Mian Mohammad Munir for having nominated Haji Imdad Husain as the party’s candidate in PP-145. He said the decision was “against the wishes of the local party workers and the people of Fatehgarh, Mughalpura and other localities” which fell in the provincial assembly constituency. Mian Munir announced the nomination of Haji Imdad on Feb 16.

Accompanied by the local nazim and other ‘notable people’ of the area, Mian Riaz said, according to the party constitution, only a parliamentary board was competent to award tickets to election candidates.

Mian Riaz, who had been a Pakistan People’s Party MPA, threatened to quit PML if the decision was not withdrawn. He said the leadership must consult the party members on the local level before selecting candidates for the general election.

He said Haji Imdad, brother of parliamentary secretary Begum Rehana Jameel, had been a nominee of the PML-N in the constituency and joined the ruling party some time ago. His nomination had created difficulties for the party in the area, and one of its manifestation was that 10 of 11 union council nazims and a large number of council members abstained from the party convention in the area held on Feb 17.

Mian Riaz said he failed to understand what was the urgency of announcing one nomination so early while the PML nominee for NA-124, of which PP-145 was only one half, was yet to be selected.