KARACHI, 1 August 2006 — Sindh Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim and Nadir Akmal Leghari were re-elected as president and secretary-general of the provincial chapter of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League.
No nomination paper was filed against Arbab and Nadir and both were declared elected unopposed. The decision to re-elect Arbab and Nadir as the president and secretary general respectively, was taken at a meeting attended by the PML Secretary-General Sen. Mushahid Hussain, Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani and Irfanullah Marwat.
But many senior party leaders expressed surprise over the sudden announcement of the election and declared that it was a clear violation of the party constitution. A section of the senior leaders approached the party chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and lodged a protest against the election process. They complained that they were not informed about the election, whereas the nomination papers were also not available for the candidates, who were willing to contest the election.
Senior party leaders, when contacted said according to the party constitution, a list of the party councilors should have been displayed and nomination papers provided in the office. They complained that 506 favorite personalities have been nominated as councilors. They said that the enrollment of 100 members as party worker was the criteria set for the nomination of the councilor.
However, a senior provincial party leader complained that no membership drive was launched nor any camp was set in any part of the province for the membership drive.
He said that all membership books were filled in CM House and voter lists were used for enrollment.
Meanwhile, the Muttaheda Qaumi Movement (MQM) has made it clear that it has not demanded the removal of Arbab as a condition for patching up its differences with the government. Senior MQM party sources said that the party had never demanded Arbab’s replacement.
“What we want is just that he (Arbab) correct himself,” said MQM sources while reiterating their set of complaints against the chief minister.
The sources said that the party leadership had no plans whatsoever to demand the chief minister’s resignation at the high-level meeting called by President Gen, Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad today. They said that the party’s differences with Arbab were based on principles and that they did not hold any grudge against him personally.
