FAISALABAD: Cracks in the Faisalabad chapter of ruling PML-N came in the open when two groups exchanged serious allegations against each other on Thursday.

In an apparent move to maintain his family’s hold over local politics, Sher Ali, former MNA and father of Minister of State for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali, criticised Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah and accused Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif of ‘patronising’ him.

Addressing a press conference, Sher Ali, who is a relative of the Sharifs, accused Mr Sanaullah and some other MPAs of humiliating loyal workers of the party.

Know more: PML-N leader accuses Rana Sanaullah of ‘killing 20 people’

He alleged that Mr Sanaullah was involved in the killing of 20 people in Faisalabad and said that he would bring forth evidence to his claim within a week. Lawmakers associated with Mr Sanaullah are a group of killers and people are not going to vote for them, he added. “We will not suffer more humiliation and will decide within a couple of days whether to remain with PML-N or not,” he said, adding that Abid (Sher Ali) would tender his resignation from the ministry.

Criticising the Punjab government, Sher Ali said that the chief minister had spent billions of rupees on various projects in Lahore but the victory of Ayaz Sadiq against the PTI candidate in the recent by-election was with a thin margin which had exposed his policies. He said it was because of Shahbaz Sharif that the son of Nawaz Sharif’s brother-in-law had lost the by-election in PP-147 in Lahore.

He said it was unfair that parliamentarians who joined the party only a couple of years ago had been given the authority of awarding party tickets for local bodies elections. These parliamentarians had ignored many loyal workers of the party and he had to make a ‘mayor group’ in Faisalabad so that disgruntled workers could be stopped from joining the PTI, he added.

“My family has old association with the PML-N but my son Aamir Sher Ali has not been given the party symbol of tiger,” he said.

“We will not tolerate our insult at the hands of MNA Mian Mannan and MPAs Ilyas Ansari, Sheikh Ijaz, Khalid Saeed and Malik Nawaz.

Meanwhile, Rana Sanaullah rejected Sher Ali’s allegations and said that the party leadership would decide the candidate for Faisalabad’s mayor.

Talking to the media, the Punjab law minister said that Sher Ali wanted to see his son as mayor of Faisalabad and that was the reason that he was levelling allegations against him.

He said Sher Ali often talked about “illogical issues because of his age factor”. “If he is blaming me for the murder of some people he should reveal names of the deceased,” he added.

Mr Sanaullah said Faisalabad was a stronghold of PML-N which would win the election in the city with a thumping majority.

The MPAs who were criticised by Sher Ali also held a press conference on Thursday and rejected his allegations.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2015

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