Dynastic politics: Hamza likely to be made provincial general secretary

PML-N makes choices for provincial posts in party reorganisation.


Abdul Manan July 23, 2011
Dynastic politics: Hamza likely to be made provincial general secretary

LAHORE:


Hamza Shahbaz Sharif is likely to win the seat of provincial general secretary of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in the third round of party ‘elections’, The Express Tribune has learnt.


Sources in the party said that Nawaz Sharif, at a recent meeting here in the city, had told PML-N leaders that it was time for Hamza to take on a bigger role as he was the party’s future. Nawaz recently made his son-in-law Cap (r) Safdar chief organiser of the party’s youth wing. The sources said that Sirdar Zulfiqar Khan Khosa would likely be made provincial president of the PML-N.

District presidents and general secretaries were elected in the first week of this month. The provincial-level offices will be decided after the central offices. According to the PML-N’s media cell, some 750 general councillors from across the country will gather at Islamabad’s Convention Centre on July 27 to elect the central office bearers.

The sources said that the ‘elections’ would involve the announcement of the names nominated for various posts and then a voice vote. They said no more than one candidate would be nominated for each post and they did not expect any opposition from the councillors to the party leaders’ choices.

The sources said that the party had decided that Raja Zafarul Haq would be made chairman, Javid Hashmi senior vice president, Sartaj Aziz central general secretary, Perveiz Rashid central information secretary, Ahsan Iqbal additional general secretary, and Zafar Jhagra vice president.

The councillors are also expected to return Nawaz Sharif to the office of party president for the first time in 10 years. He was barred from the office by laws introduced by military ruler Pervez Musharraf in 2002 against people with criminal convictions serving in party posts. Nawaz had been convicted of trying to hijack the plane on which Musharraf was returning to Pakistan in 1999 to topple his government. In July 2009 the Supreme Court overturned Nawaz’s conviction.

Shahbaz Sharif served as president of the party from 2002 until 2009, when Nawaz dissolved all party bodies and set up central and provincial organising committees to run the PML-N.

Shahbaz Sharif was made chief organiser in Punjab, Saleem Zia in Sindh, Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Khudae Noor in Balochistan. The provincial presidents  Khosa in Punjab, Syed Ghous Ali Shah in Sindh and Pir Sabir Shah in KP  were made members of the central organising committee.

The sources said that in the reorganisation, the provincial chief organisers would become the party provincial presidents, while the central committee members would be accommodated in the centre, accept in the case of Punjab, where Khosa would be made provincial chapter president.

They added that if Khosa preferred a central office, his son MNA Saifuddin Khosa could be made general secretary in Punjab and Hamza president. However, the sources said that they expected Hamza to become general secretary in Punjab.PML-N spokesmen Ahsan Iqbal and Senator Pervez Rashid were unavailable for comment.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 24th, 2011.

COMMENTS (15)

umair | 13 years ago | Reply

Each and every political party in Pakistan is like an organization; a money making machine through corruption and selling of federal and provincial seats. Bigger the Brand Bigger the Price!

Secrecy | 13 years ago | Reply

This practise has been happening all over the world - I don't understand the concept of whining over it again and again.

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