LAHORE – PMLN party leadership has not yet given a go-ahead for theelevation of a party stalwart to head the party’s Punjab chapter.
Over the years, Shehbaz Sharif, the incumbent PML-N president, has had animportant say in the N-League’s affairs concerning Punjab and former primeminister Nawaz Sharif gave importance to his younger brother’srecommendations for all the important appointments concerning the PML-NPunjab chapter and related party affairs.
Even after his elevation to the party’s top slot, Shehbaz has been keepingthe post till a regular appointment is made.
At present, the N-League’s central leadership – including former primeminister Sharif and his aides – want the elevation of a candidate of theirchoice as party’s provincial president, a PML-N sources said.
On the other hand, senior leaders of the Punjab chapter are vying for slotnone of whom enjoys close association with the elder Sharif’s group and aresaid to be trusted confidantes of Shehbaz.
Those include PML-N’s Provincial Secretary General Raja Ashfaq Sarwar, LawMinister Rana Sanaullah, Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana Iqbal and Shehbaz’sson Hamza Shehbaz rated as potential candidates to head the N-League’sPunjab chapter.
Sources said the name of Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique is alsodoing the rounds for heading the provincial chapter.
Rafique, who is on close terms with the Punjab chief minister, was also acabinet member of former PM Sharif.
However, Maryam Nawaz is said to be not in favour of Rafique heading theprovincial chapter mainly because he is among those party leaders whooppose any future role for Maryam as party leader, sources said.
Some party stalwarts in the PML-N’s central chapter say that former PM’swife and his daughter agreed to Shehbaz’s rise as PML-N president and inreturn, wanted a candidate backed by the ‘Maryam lobby’ to be placed in theprovince to head the party.
However, knowledgeable insiders in the provincial chapter deny thepossibility, saying Maryam lacks any support base in the Punjab chapter asshe solely focused at the centre when her father headed the party.