Nepotism? FESCO appointments rile local PML-N leaders

PM stops appointments of sons of two ex-ministers of state of the party to FESCO BoD

The local PML-N leadership, League MNAs, MPAs, party officials and workers have expressed serious concerns over the appointment of the sons of two former ministers of state of the party to FESCO Board of Directors.

Taking notice, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has stopped the notification from being issued for these appointments. The proposed names in the FESCO Board of Directors have started contacts with the Punjab and central leadership of Pakistan Muslim League-N and visits are being made to their offices, while some candidates are also making efforts to convince the critical League workers.

Rana Inam Afzal, son of late former state minister Rana Afzal Khan, was nominated as the chairman of the board of directors of FESCO, and Iftikhar Akram Ansari, son of former state minister Haji Akram Ansari, was nominated as a member. On which the local leadership of Faisalabad, members of the National and Provincial Assembly and workers expressed serious concerns, saying that with the late Rana Afzal Khan taking charge of the portfolio of Minister of State for Finance, his wife Dr. Najma Afzal, member of the Punjab Assembly on a reserved seat for women, and his son Rana Inam Afzal was nominated to the FESCO Board of Directors, and now again, the second son of the same family, Rana Ehsan Afzal, has been appointed as advisor to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Economic Affairs while his brother Rana Inam Afzal has been nominated as the Chairman of the FESCO Board of Directors.

They [workers] wondered whether apart from this family, any other party leader or worker in Faisalabad is eligible for these positions.

The Muslim League-N workers said that the workers who have been fighting selflessly for twenty years should not be ignored and today PML-N is losing its popularity due to favouring a few specific families.

While in the women’s wing many active women have changed and said goodbye to the party because Khalida Mansoor and Najma Afzal, who have been awarded as members of parliament or other positions for thirty years are still blue-eyed.

And because of this nepotism, the PML-N women’s wing has also practically disappeared. League workers say that if the leadership does not respect the workers, then PML-N will have no name in Faisalabad.

According to sources, the federal government has stopped the notification of the appointment of the chairman and members of the FESCO board of directors due to the protest of the local leadership and League workers of Faisalabad.

It should be noted that the federal government has nominated Rana Inam Afzal for the Chairman FESCO Board of Directors While the names of former Minister of State Haji Akram Ansari’s son Iftikhar Akram Ansari, Momin Khalid, Abdul Hameed, Hamair Hayat, Rana Azhar Waqar, Malik Rabnawaz and Mian Farrukh Iqbal were finalized, and a notification was to be issued soon approving the names of these members, but the League workers from Faisalabad expressed serious reservations.

The local leadership of Faisalabad and the League workers has started criticizing the appointment of these members on social media as well as informing the leadership, and in this regard, the position has been taken that Haji Akram Ansari is the former state minister as well as the divisional president of the party and his son is also being made a member of the FESCO board, which is unfair to other workers of the party. Similarly, PML-N workers also shared photos of industrialist Mian Farrukh Iqbal on social media in which Farrukh Iqbal displayed greeting flags on the arrival of former Prime Minister Imran Khan across the city. On which the League workers strongly protested and said that such a person who is openly welcoming the Chairman of PTI and is openly showing his commitment to PTI. So appointing such a person on the recommendation of the League leadership as a member of the FESCO Board of Directors is tantamount to destroying the party.

After the notification of the FESCO Board of Directors was stopped by the Prime Minister’s Office, the proposed names have also become active. And they are contacting the top leadership of the Muslim League-N, on which it is being clarified that now the final decision will be taken by the Prime Minister’s Office.

According to the sources, former state minister Haji Akram Ansari is contacting the top leadership of the Muslim League-N, while attempts are being made to convince the disgruntled League workers. Rana Inam Afzal is still quite optimistic about his appointment as Chairman of the FESCO Board of Directors In this regard, his brother Rana Ehsan Afzal, adviser to the Prime Minister, clarified that the name of Inam Afzal has been proposed by the party leadership and we will accept whatever decision the party leadership takes.

In this regard, Secretary of Information of Pakistan Muslim League-N City Mian Ajmal said that party workers have made numerous sacrifices for Muslim League-N. Therefore, the top leadership of the party should end the family monopoly and reward the League workers with such positions, similarly, other League leaders also said that such positions have the right of workers who do not formally participate in the election but are loyal and hard-time companions of the party.