KARACHI, Feb 1: The Pakistan Muslim League (PML) has decided to reactivate the party, prior to the local bodies' elections, and has launched its membership drive from Feb 4.
During the drive, which will continue till March 31, the PML has set its target to enrol five million members throughout the country, including 1500,000 from Sindh. PML secretary-general Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, who was here on Sunday, gave a specific target to the local party leadership, sources said.
According to the decision, the PML, led by Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, in addition to 1500,000 members in Sindh, has fixed a target of 2.5 million enrolments in Punjab, 500,000 in NWFP, 300,000 in Balochistan and 200,000 in Islamabad and FATA.
All record of the members would be maintained in the party headquarters at district, provincial and central secretariat to help facilitate the members. The sources said fresh efforts were being made to bring the PML-F back to the mainstream party by sorting out irritants and removing misgivings.
Both the parties support Gen Pervez Musharraf's policies of turning the country into a modern and enlightened Muslim state. The provincial leadership of the party was asked to expedite the reorganisation work in all districts and wherever the party office-bearers were not nominated, coordinators be appointed.
Sources said that steps were being taken to link all districts from the provincial organization and provincial organization to the central organisations with the help of media houses set up in every province.
Meanwhile, additional secretary general of PML, Senator Nisar A. Memon has said the membership drive will take off with the unfurling of national flag by PML President Ch Shujaat Hussain in the federal capital and presidents of provincial PMLs at their respective headquarters simultaneously on Feb 4, adds APP.
He said in each district, the flag-hoisting ceremony will be performed by respective district presidents and if any district is without a president, the district coordinator PML will perform the ceremony.
He informed that the policy chalked out for membership in Sindh province was reviewed at a meeting, headed by Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh, general secretary of PML Sindh and it was realized that a good progress had been achieved and good planning had been done whereby a full team has been formed which will meet the people and apprise them about the decisions taken.
Senator Nisar Memon said that membership drive will help strengthen democracy in the country. He pointed out that democracy needs institutional requirements and Pakistan Muslim League is the only organization which thinks by remaining above personal considerations and is strengthening the institutions.
He expressed the hope that other parties, too, would strengthen their institutions by remaining above personality cult, because the country will strengthen only when institutions will be strengthened.
"The way PML is getting itself strengthened, other parties should also follow its suit". He told newsmen that after the completion of party membership, its roots from primary level to union, tehsil, district and provincial would be strengthened where after elections for local office-bearers will be held.
To a question, Nisar Memon said that any citizen of Pakistan can become a member of Pakistan Muslim League, no matter if he had affiliation with any other party in the past.
Addressing the press, the additional secretary general of PML, Mohammed Iqbal Dar, said that it was the final meeting with reference to membership arrangements in the provinces and all the four provinces have finalized their programmes.