The ruling Pakistan Muslim League -Nawaz (PML-N) is in a catch-22 situation over the post of Mayor for the federal capital.
Despite the lapse of over half a month since the local bodies elections were held in the city, the party is yet to finalise a name for the coveted post, Pakistan Today has reliably learnt.
Sources within the party revealed that although PML-N secured the numbers to elect a mayor for the city, a name is yet to be decided on.
The leadership is confused as to who should be given charge due to the large number of aspirants that are eying the slot. While it was smooth sailing for the party to secure nine independent chairmen for their own clique, the situation soon turned sour when a ‘tug of war’ began amongst all for the spot of Mayor.
Sources said that the already complication n situation was further aggravated by the emergence of some new aspirants; although these people had not directly been elected in any of the fifty Union Councils (UCs), they were lobbying to be chosen on the sole technocrat seat through the indirect polls. The chiefs of the UCs will cast their votes here.
They said that the State Minister for Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, who spearheaded the LG polls in the federal capital, might not press the party leadership to elect his maternal uncle Chaudhry Matloob Hussain as the capital mayor due to the party’s abysmal performance in the LG polls in the city.
Sources said that some of the party leaders are in favour of electing someone from the youth as mayor. They further said that the party leadership is quite cautiously moving ahead to evolve a consensus over the mayor slot, in order to avoid further damage to the party. The party has already paid a heavy price due to the alleged distribution of party tickets based on nepotism and favouritism.
When contacted, Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said that it is a long debated issue and it could take another month to evolve consensus over who becomes mayor.
When asked about reports that the party is planning to elect business tycoon Advocate Hamid Mir for the post, he did not negate the reports but said that the party leadership would take the final decision as who to be elected for the coveted slot.
Although the PML-N hopes for a comfortable win in the fight for mayor, the PTI is in no mood to leave the ground open and has announced that it will actively contest for the top slot.
Names of Ali Nawaz Awan and Raja Khurram Nawaz have been circulating as potential PTI candidates for the mayor slot.
It is pertinent to mention here that polling for the local government elections in the federal capital was held on November 30, in which residents directly elected 50 UC chairpersons, who will be members of the metropolitan corporation of which PML-N won 20, the PTI trailed with 16, while independents secured 14 seats.
In the second phase, they will elect another 16 members — nine women, one technocrat, two non-Muslims, two youth members, and two worker members — on reserved seats. In the third phase, the 66-member MC will elect a mayor and three deputy mayors.
