Islamabad - After the completion of elections on reserved seats for first-ever municipal body for federal capital, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz(PML-N) has come in a position to clinch all the three slots of deputy mayors as well.
Sources in the PML-N informed The Nation that the way the candidate for the mayor was finalised with consensus the names of three deputy mayors were also finalised by the party leadership in consultation with the party leaders from Islamabad.
Sources in the party informed that one deputy mayor was taken from the National Assembly constituency NA-49 from where State Minister for CADD Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry had won the election while two deputy mayors were picked from the NA-48 jurisdiction from where the ruling PML-N had lost to PTI twice, first in 2013 general elections and then in by-polls when Javaid Hashmi had vacated the seat and Asad Umar was given ticket by PTI.
Sources in the party informed that Ch. Rifat Javid, lawyer by profession, would be one of the three deputy mayors. He is close relative of CADD Minister Dr Tari Fazal Chaudhry and was brought in the chairmen council on reserved seat for farmer.
While the other two likely candidates for the deputy mayor slots are picked from NA-48 limits and both of them were elected chairmen from union council numbers 44 and 34.
Some insiders in the party informed that both Malik Mohammad Aftab, who won as chairman from union council 44 and Malik Sajjad elected as chairman from union council 34 have the backing and blessings of former MNA from NA-48 Anjum Aqeel Khan.
Sources in the party said that soon after the elections when party high command had decided to bring mayor for federal capital from outside the elected chairmen and the selection was made at the level of Prime Minister, all party leaders from federal capital had no choice but to accept the decision.
But when it came to the selection of three slots for deputy mayor former party MNA Anjum Aqeel Khan had taken an extreme position and at a point had threatened to boycott the elections for the reserved seats with the claim that all the 12 chairmen elected from his area would stand by his decision.
The matter was resolved on the intervention of senior party leaders and finally it was decided that two deputy mayors would be picked from NA-48 limits while NA-49 would be given single slot of deputy mayor.
Sources in the party said that Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Pervaiz Rashid had pledged with Anjum Aqeel Khan that two of the slots of deputy mayors would be filled from his constituency and he would have the final word in picking the candidates.
The oath-taking ceremony for the candidates who have won the elections on reserved seats would be held on Friday and later the schedule for the elections of mayor and three deputy mayors would be announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan.
The PML-N had clinched 18 seats and the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) nine seats in the election for 27 reserved seats of the Metropolitan Corporation of Islamabad.
The newly elected chairmen of 50 union councils of Islamabad exercised their right to vote to elect the members to reserved seats.
Out of 17 seats for women, the PML-N had won 11 while PTI secured six seats. Of the three peasants/workers seats, the PML-N won two and the PTI one. Similarly, the PML-N got two and the PTI one of the three seats reserved for the youth. Of the three seats reserved for minorities, the PML-N bagged two and the PTI one. The PML-N won the sole technocrat seat.