PML-N all set to take over key slots in cantonment boards

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has finalised the names for the office of vice president in the Rawalpindi and Chaklala cantonment boards, which it is all set to win in view of its numerical strength in both boards.

The PML-N has also reached an agreement with Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) under which it would give the vice president seat to it for one year in the Chaklala Cantonment Board (CCB).

Former vice president Malik Munir will be the PML-N candidate for the slot in the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) while Chaudhry Changez Khan has been named for the office in CCB.

Mr Munir is the brother-in-law of former PML-N MNA Malik Abrar while Chaudhry Changez Khan is the brother of PML-N Senator Chaudhry Tanveer Khan, who had also served as the vice president of the RCB.

“We have a majority in the RCB as the party has seven directly-elected members and two special seats,” said PML-N divisional president Malik Abrar Ahmed while talking.

“However, we had to make an arrangement with JI in CCB as we have five seats and they have won two,” he added.

Mr Abrar said: “Chaudhry Changez Khan will serve as the CCB vice president in the first year whereas a JI candidate will take over in the second year.”

During the remaining two years, PML-N will once again elect its candidate as the vice president, he added.

He said in the RCB, the party had asked the elected members to decide a name of one person and they jointly finalised Malik Munir Ahmed for the office of vice president, adding that the members were of the view that Mr Munir had played a key role as vice president in the last tenure.

“We had to get JI’s support for the vice president seat in the CCB and managed to get a Kissan/labour seat while giving the slot of vice president for one year to the JI member,” the PML-N divisional president said.

He said Jamaat-i-Islami would decide who would be the vice president in the second year, adding that they were waiting for the election schedule from the Election Commission.

On Sept 12, out of the total 10 wards, PML-N had won five seats, JI and PTI two seats each while one independent candidate returned successful.

In the last election held in 2015, the PML-N had won nine seats and JI secured one seat while PTI had failed to bag any seat in Chaklala. It was smooth sailing for the PML-N to elect Raja Irfan Imtiaz as the vice president.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Imtiaz, who is an elected member, said the PML-N was prepared for the vice president elections and all party members would support Chaudhry Changez Khan.

He said the PML-N had won the seats due to its hard work in the past five years.

“The members solved civic issues, carried out development work and also increased the revenue of the civic body,” he added.

On the other hand, JI Rawalpindi chapter spokesman Malik Azam told Dawn that they had finalised the name for the position of vice president.

“PML-N candidate Chaudhry Changez Khan will be the vice president in the first year and in the second phase, JI’s Mirza Khalid Mehmood will take over,” Mr Azam said.

“We decided to support the PML-N in the CCB as during the elections for special seats, the slot of Kissan/labour was given to PML-N candidate Chaudhry Khurram Saddique while the minority seat was won by JI’s Shahzad George,” the Jamaat spokesperson said.

He said now the JI had three seats and PML-N six in the house of 12 members, adding that JI and PML-N would work together for the betterment of the civilian population of the cantonment boards.