Central Working Committee: Internal politics delay PML-N meeting

Nawaz Sharif said to have postponed the meeting without consulting party leaders.

LAHORE:

As differences increase among PML-N members, the president of the party, Nawaz Sharif, decided to postpone the party’s Central Working Committee meeting scheduled for September 27, The Express Tribune has learnt.

The postponement is also said to have been prompted by the Dengue virus, which has affected Punjab the most and left the provincial government struggling to tackle the emergency. It was reported that Sharif postponed the meeting without consulting senior leaders.

Sources said Sharif had planned to devise a strategy to topple the PPP-led coalition government before the Senate elections in March next year. Majority of CWC members from Punjab were in favour of launching a mass movement against the government.

On Thursday evening, Sharif returned to Lahore after a four-day visit to flood-hit areas of Sindh. People familiar with the matter said Sharif immediately sought a report on the dengue virus in Punjab and was informed about the provincial government’s failure in controlling it.

However, Sharif’s Secretary Dr Asif Kirmani said the party president had postponed the CWC meeting because he had asked party members from Sindh to distribute relief items among people in flood-hit areas.

Eight weeks after electing central office-bearers, the PML-N has been unable to hold its provincial elections because of differences within the party over positions.

According to party members close to the Sharifs, there were three candidates, Sartaj Aziz, Zafar Iqbal Jhagra and Khawaja Saad Rafique, for the slot of the party’s general secretary.

Sources said Aziz is the most favourite candidate for the slot.

It has apparently been decided in principle that Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa would be the party president in Punjab. There are four candidates for Punjab general-secretary, Hamza Shahbaz Sharif, Rana Sanaullah Khan, MNA Rana Tanveer and Ashfaq Sarwar. However, the party will decide in favour of Shahbaz’s son Hamza Sharif, sources said.





Published in The Express Tribune, September 23^rd, 2011.