LAHORE - Chaudhary Sarwar is likely to be given a key office in party’s central setup, PTI sources told The Nation yesterday.

Sarwar, who is currently in London, will return by the end of this month and likely to be nominated for an interim senior party slot in the central setup, the party sources said.

“Ch Sarwar is likely to be made interim central president or chief national organiser,” the sources further claimed.

The former governor, according to some party leaders, had developed differences with high command on certain issues.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf launched the interim setup earlier this month to steer the leaderless boat of the party in the absence of elected office bearers.

Javed Hashmi, who left the PTI at the height of the Azadi sit-in at D-Chowk Islamabad, was the elected central president of the party. Shah Mehmood Qureshi who is now interim vice chairman of the party, was the chief national organiser after the dissolution of party offices.

PTI’s first intra-party polls were held in 2013 but the party organisations were dissolved by Imran Khan in May 2015 following the recommendations of Justice (r) Wajihuddin Ahmed Commission formed to probe rigging in the party elections.

The commission found irregularities at a mass level by certain party leaders who used their financial means to achieve victory. He recommended expulsion of party leaders including Pervez Khattak, Jahangir Tareen, Nadir Akmal Leghari, Aleem Khan and Azam Swati for foul play in party polls.

In the first interim party setup after dissolution of party offices following the commission’s recommendations, Ch Sarwar was made organiser for Punjab to rejuvenate the party for another intra-party election.

The interim setup was disbanded early this year to hold new party polls, while the party elections were tentatively planned for March this year. However, Imran Khan postponed the party polls for an indefinite period to launch an anti-government drive in the wake of the Panama Papers.

The party needs another interim setup for which Imran Khan has nominated team leaders for centre and provinces. The PTI chairman earlier nominated Shah Mehmood Qureshi as the vice chairman of the party and Jahangir Tareen as secretary general.

In the second round in third week of this month, Ishaq Khaqwani, Amir Kiyani, Aleem Khan and Ch M Ashfaq were nominated as presidents of southern, northern, central and western Punjab respectively. Samsam Bokhari has been made appointed as secretary information Punjab.

As there would be no interim office for the provincial president, a party leader of Sarwar’s pedestal is likely to be adjusted at the central level at a senior position, the sources said.

“In the first plan for interim party setup, the office of provincial president was on the list but later it was dropped to avoid infighting. In the presence of four influential regional presidents, there were strong possibilities of friction among them and the provincial president,” they added.

According to the party officials, the PTI chairman would directly monitor the interim setup of Punjab to deal with the infighting issue among party ranks.

Sarwar who headed the party as organiser of Punjab made efforts to reorganise the party on modern lines following his experiences as a practitioner of politics in UK.

PAT council to meet on Model Town tragedy, Panama Papers

Pakistan Awami Tehreek will hold a meeting of its federal council today to give party chairman proposals regarding getting justice over Model Town incident and cooperating with other opposition parties for Panama Papers campaign.

According to party spokesperson Noor Ullah Siddiqui, the federal council members will give their inputs to party chairman Dr Tahirul Qadri concerning devising a strategy to get justice for the victims of Model Town incident.

The federal council meeting will also give their proposals regarding cooperation with other opposition parties for an anti-government movement on the issues of Panama Papers, loadshedding, law and order and others, he added.

About the national consultative meeting of political parties to be organised by the PAT on July 31 to ponder upon the issues of justice for victims of Model Town incident and accountability drive focusing Panama Papers, he said all the political parties have been invited except the ruling coalition.