ISLAMABAD, Dec 28: The Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-i-Azam) high command has decided to convene an emergency meeting of the central working committee (CWC) on Dec 31 to elect an acting president replacing Mian Mohammad Azhar, and also to convene a meeting of the general council to fill the offices which have fallen vacant, Azim Chaudhry secretary organizing told Dawn on Saturday.

A number of top party offices, including that of the president, secretary-general, two vice-presidents, information secretary, joint secretary and women’s wing president, have fallen vacant either due to resignations or elevation to public offices. Chaudhry Azim further stated.

The president’s office had fallen vacant following Mian Azhar’s resignation, and secretary-general’s after Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali became prime minister; Abida Husain, secretary information has also resigned.

Likewise, the two vice-presidents Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri and Humayun Akhtar Khan have become federal ministers.

A meeting of the party’s high command, attended by parliamentary leader and aspirant for president Chaudhry Shujaat, vice-president Lt-Gen (retd) Abdul Majeed Malik, acting secretary-general Salim Saifullah Khan, Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi and Azim Chaudhry, decided that the CWC should immediately be convened so that the party’s vacant offices could be filled.

Azim Chaudhry said that under article 16 of the party constitution, the secretary-general was bound to convene the CWC within 10 days after the president’s office falls vacant, and as such the said meeting was to be convened which would call the general council meeting within 45 days and on a 10-day notice.