Sardar Yaqoob to be named acting PML-N chief today

A stop-gap arrangement or permanent induction? Insiders divided

LAHORE: Senator Sardar Yaqoob Khan Nasar, a close aide to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who belongs to Balochistan, is likely to be made the acting president of PML-N at the party’s Central Working Committee meeting scheduled to be held on Thursday (today), party insiders told this correspondent.

Chairman of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Raja Zafarul Haq cited the party’s constitution and said that if the seat of party president fell vacant, the acting president is to be selected by the Central Working Committee within seven days.

He said that the committee would also give schedule for the election for a permanent president.

The party’s general council meeting will elect the new party president, he said, adding that there was no bar on the acting president to run for the post of the party president. “But normally, the acting party chief does not participate.”



Well-placed sources in PML-N Punjab confirmed that Sardar Yaqoob would be the acting party president of PML-N while Chief Minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif would be the permanent president of the PML-N.

They said that summoning the party’s general council meeting may take a month or so where the new President would be elected, whereas in the meantime acting president would continue to function. They said the council would elect Shehbaz Sharif as the new party president in accordance with the decision reached by party leaders.

Senior party leader Senator Asif Kirmani said that Senator Yaqoob Khan Nasar’s appointment as acting president was a stop-gap arrangement. When asked if Shehbaz Sharif would be the new party chief, he said that he did not know such details.

However, former information minister Pervaiz Rashid denied reports regarding the elevation of Shehbaz Sharif as permanent party president.

He said that the party had arrived at a consensus to select the new party president from smaller provinces and the decision was approved by Nawaz Sharif.

He said that Sardar Yaqoob, senior vice-president of PML-N would be chosen as the new party president by a wide majority, adding that Yaqoob would continue to function as the party president and his was not a temporary selection.

Rejecting all media reports suggesting Shehbaz Sharif being made the party president, he said that the decision in this regard had been ratified by the party leadership.

When asked about Raja Zafarul Haq’s statement, he said he might have said this in his individual capacity, but this should not be construed as the party policy.