KARACHI, Dec 21: The dissolution of the organizational set up of the Pakistan Muslim League-N is a move to prepare the party for upcoming changes in the country, as the party considers the year 2005 the year of elections.
These views were expressed by the newly appointed chief organizer of the PML-N Sindh, Mamnoon Hussain, soon after a meeting at his residence, which was attended by other PML-N leaders.
The PML-N chief, Mian Nawaz Sharif, in a surprise move dissolved the central working committee and all provincial organizations of the party by replacing its secretary general, Sir Anjam Khan, with Zafar Ahmad Jhagra and appointing chief organizers in the provinces.
Mr Hussain, former Sindh governor and provincial secretary general, talking to Dawn said the decision was taken by the party chief after consultations with other party leaders.
Recently, some important PML-N leaders including Raja Zafar-ul-Haq, Chaudhry Ahsan Iqbal, Mr Jafar Iqbal, Mr Saad Rafique, Ms Tehmina Daultana, Ms Memoona Hashmi and others visited Jeddah where they briefed the party chief about the party's performance.
Nawaz Sharif, according to insiders, appeared unsatisfied with the working of the party apparatus and had decided to bring changes to make the party more active and effective and prepare it for the upcoming general elections.
In reply to a question, the PML-N Sindh chief organizer said that Tuesday's meeting was an informal get-together to exchange views for reorganizing the party. He said as far as the Sindh chapter of the party was concerned, there were committed people, who had faced hardships without compromising with time-server elements.
However, to reactivate and improve the party's performance in interior Sindh, 20 per cent changes would likely be made in party's office bearers so that party decisions could be implemented.
Mr Hussain said he would suggest nine to 10 names to the party chairman, Raja Zafar-ul-Haque, for nominating them as members of the provincial coordination committee, which would complete the task of reorganising the party within a month.
Responding to another question, he said that Mr Imdad Chandio, who was the acting president of the PML-N Sindh chapter, had resigned from the office on personal grounds, which was accepted by the party's high command; however, Mr Chandio had offered his full cooperation for reorganizing the party in the province.
He dispelled the impression that the PML-N did not have any vote bank in the province by pointing out that in 1996 the PML-N emerged as the second largest party in the province.
However, he conceded that owing to particular circumstances in interior parts of Sindh only those candidates had proved effective who had their nucleus of five to six thousand voters.