MUZAFFARABAD: Fissures in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) chapter of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) became visible again on Thursday when one of its top leaders publicly distanced himself from the ongoing reorganisation of party’s different bodies.

Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, former senior minister and sitting regional secretary general, made his discord known to everyone across the state in a social media post which he wrote in response to the alleged grievances of Sardar Farooq Sikandar, also a former minister and scion of an influential political family of Kotli.

Recently, the PML-N president Shah Ghulam Qadir constituted the party’s 300-member governing body, known as Majlis-i-Aamla, as well as other bodies at different levels.

On Thursday, a day after the announcement of the office bearers of Kotli district, Mr Sikandar took to social media to express shock and surprise over being ignored in this regard.

“Neither did I nor other people (workers) were. Informed in advance about the reorganization [in Kotli district]. The procedure was not democratic. Decisions [in party] are made out of personal wishes and doggedness of a single person. The rest just bow to those decisions,” he wrote.

Holding both the party’s regional president and secretary general responsible for it, he said he had no disagreement with them except that they should not impose the decisions.

Ironically, we were not considered worthy of consultations… Voting [to elect office bearers] was a better option but it was ignored. Under the heavyweights, both the party and the democracy gets suppressed,“ he concluded.

As Mr Sikandar had also blamed party’s secretary general Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, the latter responded to him through his X (previously Twitter) handle.

“For the last three months, I have become quite indifferent to party matters. There is a difference of opinion with the party’s regional leadership on affairs related to reorganization as well as the government, expression of which on social media is inappropriate,” Mr Farooq wrote.

He alleged that the party’s regional president Qadir did not believe in the consultation process vis-à-vis organizational matters and only he [Qadir] was solely responsible for all party related decisions.

“I should not be held responsible in matters mentioned by Mr Farooq Sikandar. I own only those decisions that are taken democratically with consultations in accordance with the party’s constitution,” he added.

Renewing his respect for colleagues and workers, Mr Farooq made it clear that he had no grievances with the nominated office bearers either.

“Instead I congratulate them and pray for their success.”

Unlike the seven PML-N lawmakers in AJK Assembly, Mr Farooq and many other senior PML-N leaders, who could not return in July 2021 polls, were not in favour of their party becoming part of the coalition government under Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, because they believed that it would prove counterproductive for the party in the long run.

Since Mr Haq and Mr Farooq are archrivals in Bhimber city, the latter had been alleging right from the inception of PTI’s government in 2021 that his workers and sympathizers were being “indiscriminately” victimized at the former’s behest.

The alleged victimization, according to him, had increased manifold after Mr Haq’s elevation as prime minister in April this year, but the party leaders who were part of the government were not doing anything to arrest it.

“It’s an open secret that the PML-N is not in the government, only its seven legislators are part of the coalition government,” Mr Farooq remarked in a telephonic conversation with Dawn.

This correspondent made several attempts to reach PML-N regional president but failed because his all three mobile numbers were switched off.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2023