LAHORE, Nov 12: The crisis in the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) deepened on Wednesday night when over 100 members from across the country gathered here to demand resignation of the sitting chairman Waqar Monnoo.

The disgruntled Aptma members, who had gathered at an Iftar hosted by Mian Muhammad Mansha, chairman of Nishat Group, to chalk out a collective course of action against Mr Waqar, also formed a six-member committee of elders to bring about reforms in the Aptma in order to “restore its lost esteem and respect.”

Sources who had participated in the meeting told this reporter late in the night that the committee of elders would be headed by Sapphire Group’s chairman Mian Abdullah. Other committee members include three former Aptma chairmen Mian Tariq Saigol, Mohsin Aziz and Anwaar Tata, and Razzaq Tabba and Salim Bhanero.

Prominent among other Aptma members who participated in the informal meeting at Mian Mansha’s place included Javed Saifullah, Ejaz Gohar, and Mian Habibullah.

The sources said the participants of the meeting had proposed that the committee of elders should choose the new, consensus, and non-controversial chairman of the organization after obtaining the resignation of Mr Waqar.

The sources said over 100 Aptma members had already handed their resignations from the organization to Mian Abdullah. It was on the initiative of Mr Gohar Ejaz that other participants had handed their resignations to the chairman of the committee of elders.

They said Aptma would surely split into two groups if Mr Waqar refused to step down voluntarily. They said at least four senior members of the committee led by Mian Abdullah had gone to the residence of Mian Jehangir Monnoo, a staunch supporter of Mr Waqar Monnoo, with their demand for the resignation of the sitting chairman in order to save the powerful organization of spinners. The meeting was on till the filing of this report late in the night.

The crisis had hit Aptma only a week after election of its central chairman on Oct 11 when Mian Tariq Saigol of Kohinoor Group and Mian Mansha of Nishat Group sent letters to the organization’s secretariat withdrawing Aptma’s membership of their companies. Later on, Sapphire Group and Bhanero Group also joined them and dissociated themselves from Aptma. Some of those who had supported Mr Waqar in the election like Arshad Group have also deserted him to join his opponents.

The two groups had decided to dissociate themselves from the organization alleging that the ruling group had illegally allowed many members to cast their votes by paying just 10 per cent of their outstanding membership dues which had paved the way for the victory of Mr Waqar by a narrow margin of two votes.

They also wanted that each Aptma member should have voting rights on the basis of the number of spindles his mill(s) has and not on the basis of number of his companies as they are charged membership fee on the same formula. Moreover, they say, had this formula been applicable at the times of election, Mr Shahid Anwaar would have defeated Mr Waqar with a large margin.