LAHORE, July 7: Of 37 Allama Iqbal Town Council members, 20 expressed no confidence against Town Nazim Sardar Adil Omar in his absence on Wednesday through a secret ballot, on corruption charges.
Naib Nazim Mian Javed Ali, who presided over the council session convened for taking up the no-trust motion moved by Rana Faryad Ali and seconded by Chaudhry Faiz Rasool, was elected the acting Town Nazim and Allama Iqbal Town union council Naib Nazim Noman Qaiser Naib Nazim unanimously.
Councillors gathered at the town office on Shama Road at 8am when a majority of the officers and employees had not reported for duty. The town assembly hall was locked and electricity switched off.
They entered the hall and started the proceedings on a 20-page chargesheet against the Town Nazim circulated by them earlier at around 8:15am. The no-confidence proceedings, including voting, were over by 8:45pm.
Acting Naib Nazim Noman Qaiser said the Town Nazim had been informed about the presentation of a no-confidence motion against him on Tuesday, but he did not bother to attend the council meeting to explain his position viz-a-viz the corruption charges. Most of Town Nazim's supporters failed to turn up because they were enjoying a pleasure trip to Nathia Gali.
REJOINDER: Speaking at a press conference at the Lahore Press Club in the evening, Town Nazim Sardar Adil Omar denied the allegations of corruption and termed the no-trust proceedings illegal.
He said five of the council members, including the acting Naib Nazim, had no voting rights because their respective union councils had expressed no confidence against them. A lady councillor had not attended the council sessions for a long time and was not eligible to vote either.
He said the no-confidence proceedings were also illegal because he and a number of other council members were not informed and the agenda for the meeting not circulated.
He was also denied the mandatory opportunity to explain his position viz-a-viz the allegations levelled against him. He claimed that the Pakistan People's Party and Jamaat-i-Islami councillors had joined hands to remove him from office.