No-trust motion: Pindi Cantt Board vice-president booted out

Eleven councillors voted against Raja Jahandad for his ‘impolite behaviour’

RAWALPINDI: Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) Vice-President Raja Jahandad was stripped of his portfolio as 11 elected members voted against him on Monday.

The board’s president Brig Hassan Raza, who chaired the special board meeting, conducted the voting on the no-confidence motion moved by 11 elected representatives.

The members voted against the vice-president through a show of hands expressing no-confidence in Jahandad.

Brigadier Raza, who is also station commander, announced that the vice-president is removed from his position as the elected members have expressed their no-confidence in him.

After the voting, the RCB administration sent the result to the district election office to denotify Jahandad as vice-president of the board.

“The board is bound to elect a new vice-president within 60 days after de-notification of Raja Jahandad,” said RCB spokesperson Qaisar Mahmood.

He said that the board president will convene another special meeting where the councillors will elect a new vice-president.

Jahandad, who also attended the meeting, said that he accepted the verdict as the members exercised their democratic right.

He said that he will continue to support the members and the board in executing their respective functions for the betterment of cantonment residents.

The no-confidence motion against Jahandad was moved by the members on June 20, for his ‘impolite behaviour’, which according to him had antagonised the RCB administration and the officials who were not willing to do work whenever asked by them.

Earlier, Jahandad had held Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MNA Malik Abrar responsible for the no-confidence against him.

Abrar, however, clarified that he had nothing to do with the move.

Reconciliation efforts by Senator Chaudhry Tanveer Ahmed and others could not yield results as the 11 members remained adamant to vote Jahandad out.

Currently, three names have been making rounds as replacement of Jahandad. Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, who had earlier served in the same position. Malik Munir, who was nominated to the board on farmer’s seat is a close relative of MNA Abrar, and Haji Zafar Iqbal, an influential member of the ruling party.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2016.