PESHAWAR: Despite completion of the four-year tenure of the present office-bearers of PML-N in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the central leadership seems least interested to announce schedule for intra-party elections, according to sources.

Insiders said that delay in intra-party polls was causing unrest among the would-be candidates. Pir Sabir Shah, the sitting provincial president of PML-N, and his team were nominated by central president Mian Nawaz Sharif on Dec 29, 2011 at Nishtar Hall Peshawar, they said, adding that many of the aspirants were expecting schedule for fresh intra-party polls.

According to sources, Pir Sabir Shah has been provincial president of the party for over a decade but now he feels that he is being ignored in important decisions.

Rahmat Salam Khattak served the party as provincial general secretary but he also tendered his resignation when PML-N candidates failed to win the local government elections in his Karak district. However, central leadership is yet to accept his resignation.

The issue of new and old guards still persists in the party

According to insiders, the party is also facing internal crisis which resulted in its failure in the recently held local government elections in the province.

Eng Amir Muqam and his supporters have been playing active role in the party for the past three years but the issue of senior and junior workers still persists.

Although the PML-N provincial office-bearers avoid talking about internal differences openly yet during background interviews they admit rift and grouping in the party. They also blame central leadership for its failure to resolve organisational problems.

A disgruntled group has also come into existence in the party owing to lack of coordination between the central and provincial leaders.

“We have been trying to save the party but our leaders are least interested to pay attention to us,” PML-N Peshawar president Abdul Sattar Khalil told Dawn.

He said that intra-party elections were due and it was duty of the central leadership to hold polls and give a chance to energetic people to lead the party in different districts of the province.

“We will oppose all those grabbing party seats through umbrellas. We will raise voice against injustices,” he said and added that workers having 10 years experience could become provincial office-bearers of the party.

Arbab Khizer Hayat, another activist of PML-N, also said that tenure of the present organisational units had been completed and it was duty of the leadership to announce fresh intra-party elections at all levels.

He said that hard working people with good reputation should be given chance to represent the party as there would be no use of appointing blue-eyed people on key seats.

PML-N provincial information secretary Nasir Khan Musazai said that central leadership knew to take a step on appropriate time. He said that intra-party elections did not seem feasible in the present situation because the leadership was busy in many other unavoidable activities.

PML-N provincial general secretary Rahmat Salam Khattak said that elections for central office-bearers were expected in the current month that would be followed by intra-party elections in different provinces.

He asked party workers to avoid issuing statements to media regarding intra-party elections because leadership would announce schedule for polls at appropriate time.

Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2016