RAWALPINDI: After the elections, all eyes are now set on the selection (or election) of vice-presidents for the cantonment boards.

Though the PML-N swept the elections in the cantonment areas, the party is facing infighting over selection of vice-presidents.

The party has two groups, one led by Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan and the other by Chaudhry Tanveer.

Both are influencing the party leadership, especially Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, directly and indirectly to get their respective candidates on the seats.

“After the official announcement of the results, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will issue a notification for the selection of two minority and Kisan/labour/women members along with the vice-president,” said RCB Executive Officer Fahim Zafar Khan.

He said the returning officer had submitted the results to ECP which would announce it in a day or two.

“In Chaklala Cantonment Board, the election on Kisan seat will be important as each of the two groups want to bring in their blue-eyed boy and then make him the vice-president,” a PML-N leader told Dawn.

He said Chaudhry Tanveer had managed to bring his brother Changez Khan to Chaklala Cantonment Board but surrendered three wards in the constituency of NA-52 to local PML-N leaders. Now he wants to accommodate his nephew on the Kisan seat.

“If his nephew is elected, he would contest the election for the seat of vice-president,” he said, adding that Chaudhry Nisar would bring his own man for the slot of vice-president. He said Raja Irfan Imtiaz was also a favourite.

Meanwhile, four heavyweights won the election in the RCB – Raja Jehandad, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, Malik Sajid and Haji Zafar Iqbal.

“The Chaudhry Nisar group supported Haji Zafar Iqbal while Chaudhry Tanveer and MNA Malik Abrar backed Malik Sajid. However, Raja Jehandad is an old Muslim Leaguer and won the seat three times. Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, who served as the RCB vice-president in the early 90s, belonged to the Jamaat-i-Islami in the past but joined PML-N in 2013,” he said.

For the selection of Kisan/minority members and vice-presidents, the PML-N members have started consultations. In this regard, MNA Malik Abrar arranged dinner for the winning candidates and the local leader, including Senator Tanveer.

When contacted, MNA Abrar said the party would finalise the names of the candidates for vice presidents, Kisan and minority seats soon.

“We will nominate the candidates after mutual understanding as we did in the selection of candidates for the 20 wards,” he said.

Former MNA Malik Shakil Awan told Dawn that the party leaders always benefit from the “political wisdom of Chaudhry Nisar and the parliamentary committee will recommend the names to him before making it public.”

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2015

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