Shahbaz Sharif, Raja Zafar ul Haq, Jhagra and others elected unopposed central office bearers of PML-N

ISLAMABAD: All the office bearers of PML-N including party president Mian Shahbaz Sharif and chairman Raja Zafar Ul Haq with reaffirming commitment that country wide anti Musharraf movement will be launched under the leadership of Mian Nawaz Sharif.

PML-N central general council met here Wednesday under Raja Zafar Ul Haq. Besides members of general council, members of the party from across the country, AJK and federal capital attended the meeting in large number. Former foreign minister Sartaj Aziz performed the duties of chairman election commission. Ghulam Dastgir Khan, M. Hamza, Memoona Hashmi and Qutab ud Din were members of election commission.

Central general council elected unopposed Raja Zafar Ul Haq as chairman, Mian Shahbaz Sharif, president, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, general secretary, Javed Hashmi, Muhammad Ali Khan Hoti, Siranjam Khan, Mamnoon Hussain as senior vice presidents, Chaudhry Jaffar Iqbal, additional secretary general, Pervaiz Malik, finance secretary and Chaudhry Ahsan Iqbal as information secretary.

Former chief minister of NWFP Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Abbasi proposed the name of Raja Zafar ul Haq for the chairmanship of the party and Sardar Yaqoob Nasir seconded it. PML president Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa proposed the name of Mian Shahbaz Sharif as president of the party while Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Pervaiz Malik, Pir Sabir Shah, Zaeem Qadri and Sardar Ayyaz Sadiq seconded the proposal.

Makhdoom Javed Hashmi was proposed for the office of senior vice president by Salim Zia and seconded by Begum Najma Hamid.

Begum Tehmina Daultana proposed the name of Iqbal Zafar Jhagra for the office of secretary general and Malik Shuja ur Rehman seconded this proposal.

Through a resolution Mian Nawaz Sharif and Mian Shahbaz Sharif were authorized to make these nominations.

Speaking on the occasion Sartaj Aziz said PML has always upheld democratic norms . Nawaz Sharif was elected as party president in 1993 through elections and was re-elected as president in 1996. Intra party elections were held in PML in 2002 following the imposition of martial law in the country. Newly elected leadership has come to fore again through election today.

Newly elected PML president Mian Shahbaz Sharif in his telephonic address said the sacrifices rendered by the party workers would not go waste. We stand like rock under the leadership of Mian Nawaz Sharif. Full fledged efforts were made to cause split in the party but the forces behind these attempts could not succeed.

PML president said Nawaz Sharif is going ahead with an ideology and he stands like a rock for the sake of a bright future by trampling all interests under his feet. " Nawaz Sharif is our Qaid and this party is his party. He is the only one who wields vote bank. An unjust law was enacted to remove him from the scene. We will work under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif. We will take forward the country to development and prosperity. If we have to make the country enlightened and progressive we will have to weed out the 58 years old system, which made the poor poorer and rich richer.

He went on to say that oppressed classes are being more oppressed and we have to change this system. We have to strengthen the institutions.

PML-N newly elected chairman Raja Zafar Ul Haq said Nawaz Sharif is spending his days in exile for the very reason that he rejected deal offer from the usurpers. Offers were made to him on several occasions but he made it clear if I strike deal today, usurpers would stay at the helm of affairs for ever.

Shahbaz Sharif respects his brother Nawaz Sharif like he respected his father, Zafar said. Those who used to go around Nawaz Sharif have gone turncoats and they had to face degradation and humiliation, he added.

He went on to say Javed Hashmi was sent behind the bars under false cases. But his face still blazes as he thinks he is pleading the stance of nation.

PML-N secretary general Zafar Iqbal Jhagra said October 12, 1999 will be remembered always in the history as the blackest chapter of the country when an elected government enjoying two thirds majority was overthrown. Dictatorship was imposed. Government of a prime minister was dissolved who conducted nuclear tests rejecting the telephonic calls of the then US president Clinton.

He alleged the rulers have detained the father of country’s nuclear bomb Dr Qadeer Khan and on the other hand India elevated its nuclear scientist to the office of president of the country. Javed Hashmi was tried on false charges of high treason. He is being punished for reading a letter. As to why the generals were not tried who had recently dispatched a letter to the President General Pervez Musharraf, he questioned.

Political parties are now uniting on one platform, he said adding consultation process is underway with MMA and other opposition groups. Anti-government movement would soon be launched.