Up in arms: ‘Why were defeated candidates of PML-N given priority over UC chairmen?’

Why did you pass on councillors at a meeting to discuss city administration affairs, DCO asked

DERA GHAZI KHAN: Union Council 3 Chairman Malik Khalid Arain of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf issued DCO Nadeemur Rehman a legal notice on Sunday demanding an explanation of why the DCO had invited certain defeated (local government election) candidates of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, and not all elected UC chairmen, to a meeting held on July 14 where various matters pertaining to the city administration were discussed.

He has claimed that according to the minutes of the meeting circulated after the meeting had taken place, the DCO had invited several members of the Provincial and National Assemblies and chairmen of 17 union councils. However, Khalid Arain said, only one union council chairman had attended the meeting. The rest had not received an invitation.

“Only one general councillor, Ghulam Muhammad Bhambhani, had been invited to the meeting…tehsil municipal administration officers were also present at the meeting,” said Arain. Syed Ayaz Shah (Union Council 3) Syed Fayyaz Shah (Union Council 6) and Ghulam Farid Korai (Union Council 17), all defeated candidates of the PML-N, had attended the meeting, he said. Korai had chaired the meeting, he said.

“I want to know why the DCO rejected the mandate we have been given by the people and invited defeated candidates to the meeting.”

The legal notice he has issued the DCO says he must give an explanation in this regard in 15 days and pay him Rs100 million as damages. The chairmen of union councils 1 and 6 are also expected to send the DCO legal notices in the coming days, some of the union council chairmen said.

The DCO, however, said that he had not received a legal notice. “Some of the members of the Provincial and National Assemblies had brought along a few supporters to the meeting.”

He said the union council chairmen had been invited. “If there has been a spelling error, we can look into it and make amends.” The DCO said strict action would be taken against the person responsible for altering names of those invited. “We will take strict action in case ‘malafide intent’ is proven,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 25^th, 2016.