APML suffers desertion in Chitral

 Decision backfires

CHITRAL: Though the people of Chitral have special attachment to former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf for his commitment to the construction of the Lowari Tunnel, the recent decision of the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) chief about changing the party’s local leadership bewildered many.

The political pundits termed the decision of Pervez Musharraf to change the party’s top man in the district as “a decision in haste.”

Energetic Shahzada Khalid Pervez has been making efforts to prepare the party for the next general election when Pervez Musharraf appointed Sultan Wazir, a former bureaucrat who had joined the Pakistan People’s Party some one year back or so, as APML head for Chitral. 

Such haphazard decisions of the party’s top leaders had already made a dent in APML in the district as ex-MPA Ghulam Muhammad and senior leader Fazlur Rehman parted ways with it.Opposing the new change, the office-bearers of the APML at a meeting announced to quit their respective party positions.

“We will not accept this decision. They are imposing Muttahida Qaumi Movement and PPP people on us,” said Kashafat Younus, a diehard party activist, from upper Chitral. The meeting expressed concern over selection of Sultan Wazir, a former income tax commissioner, as district president of the party.

The participants of the meeting accused the provincial and central leadership of not taking the local leaders into confidence about appointment of president and general secretary.“Chitral is the only district where the party has representation in National Assembly as well as district and tehsil councils,” said another party leader.

The APML leaders blasted the central and provincial leadership for meddling in the party affairs at the local level, adding several party workers had joined other parties due to their indifference. According to political pundits, though Shahzada Mohiuddin had quit active politics, his vote-bank was still intact.

His elder son Shahzada Iftikharuddin was elected as MNA on APML ticket in the 2013 general election.Sources in the party said that Shahzada Iftikhar and Shahzada Khalid Pervez along with their supporters may join the ruling PML-N.They believed that it would be very difficult task for Sultan Wazir to reorganise the party in the district as all its office-bearers had resigned.