Raja Jahandad was voted out by a no-confidence vote on July 27

Local leaders of PML-N undecided on who will fill the vacant slot of vice-president of the RCB

RAWALPINDI: Local leaders of the Pakistan Muslim league-Nawaz (PML-N) are undecided on who will fill the vacant slot of vice-president of the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB), after Raja Jahandad was voted out in a no-confidence vote on June 27.

It is believed that MNA Malik Abrar Ahmed and Senator Chaudhry Tanveer Ahmed of the PML-N are two prominent leaders who will have a say in deciding the next vice-president of the RCB.

After discussions between elected members of the board, lobbying has begun between three potential candidates for the role, which include Malik Munir Ahmed, Haji Zafar Iqbal and Rashid Khan.

The most prominent member among them is Malik Munir Ahmed, who is the brother-in-law of MNA Abrar.

He has a competitive edge over the other candidates, as he is a close relative of Abrar, who has twice been elected MNA from cantonment area.

Jahandad has subsequently been lobbying against Malik Munir as he believes he was the architect behind his no-confidence vote.

Haji Zafar Iqbal, is another strong candidate who was unanimously elected with an overwhelming majority into the RCB and is popular among the residents of cantonment areas.

Rasheed Khan is also believed to have close ties with Abrar with some believing that if Munir is unable to win, Khan will be supported instead. Furthermore, there are reports that Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, former RCB vice-president, has also been lobbying for his candidature, but he remains a weak aspirant.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 12^th, 2016.