ISLAMABAD - Further split may hit the ranks of Pakistan Muslim League-Likeminded PML-LM as two of its members were handpicked and appointed on Tuesday against key offices in the party without any formal decision-making process.
Following internal bickering and maneuvering by the party Chairman Chaudhry Hamid Nasir Chattha, a new controversy may trigger as the central leadership of the PML-LM has decided to appoint Iqbal Dar as secretary finance of the party while Riaz Mohammad Dogar as acting provincial president KP of the group. The group is an off-shoot of the PML-Q and as yet has neither its manifesto nor the constitution despite parting ways from PML-Q in 2009. None of the office-bearers who took the decision to make new appointments was authorized to do so as the party president has yet not delegated powers to doing so.
The appointments have been made in violation of the Political Parties Act 2002. The group has made these appointments breaching the prerogative of the party president, Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, who lives in self-exile these days. As per an official handout, the decisions were taken during a meeting of the party attended by the party’s central leaders Salim Saifullah Khan, Humayon Akhtar Khan, Kashmala Tariq and others. However, the party sources claim that no such meeting was held and both decisions were imposed by Hamid Nasir Chattha and Salim Saifullah Khan who had got their henchmen appointed against key posts.
The source said that Salim Saifullah Khan had been instrumental in getting his crony appointed as KP president due to his political clout in the party. These days, Saifullah heads the party’s steering committee. “Neither there was any meeting held here at the party’s central secretariat nor the matter was discussed at any proper forum,” said a source, adding that the decision was made after Chattha threatened to leave the party if his close confidant, Iqbal Dar, was not accommodated.” The source said that the party’s central secretariat belonged to Hamid Nasir Chattha, which was bought by the funds of the PML-Junejo in late 1980s. Due to the same reason, Chattha was instrumental in getting the decision as per his wish by the party’s decision-making individuals. However, the source said, no one was happy about these appointments as neither Dar was active in politics nor he enjoyed any support in his area. “Who knows Dar? He cannot even win a union council election. But the real party leaders are being ignored and leaders are dividing the party offices among themselves,” asserted the source.
The group, which had support of around thirty lawmakers in the recent past, has already shrunk to only five lawmakers – thanks to support from Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim whose group enjoys support of three MNAs out of the total five. Those supporting Rahim include Arbab Zakaullah, Krishan Chand Perwani and Ghulam Haider Samijo. Kashmala Tariq and Humayon Saifullah Khan are other two MNAs supporting the group. Most of the politicians previously associated with the group have either rejoined Chauhdry Shujaat-led PML-Q or have found asylum in the Imran-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI). The party’s Secretary Information Kashmala Tariq did not respond to the repeated calls made at her cell phone.