Major shifts expected for party posts in PML-N

A major shift is expected within the party posts of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) as Khawaja Saad Rafique is likely to become the next secretary general.

According to the sources, the proposal to appoint Rafique as the new secretary general will be presented at the party’s general council meeting, where the final decision on the matter is also expected to be taken.

If all goes according to plan, the politician will take over the post from Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal.

Iqbal, who currently heads the Ministry of Planning and Development, had requested the party leadership to relieve him of his duties as secretary general when the party was in power from April 2022 to August 2023 under the banner of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) . sources added.

Speaking to a private news channel, Iqbal said: “I told the party leadership years ago that I want to leave the post.”

He added that it is difficult to run the party office properly due to his busy schedule as a minister.

According to the sources, the PML-N general council meeting will be held in Lahore on May 11. During this meeting, Nawaz Sharif is likely to be appointed president of the party.

The reports about Rafique’s position in the party come a week after PML-N Punjab unit president Rana Sanaullah announced that Nawaz would regain leadership of the ruling party.

The development was significant as the PML-N supremo got a “clean chit” from the courts and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in multiple cases filed against him.

“Nawaz Sharif will lead the party again. The PML-N will make progress under his leadership,” Sanaullah said while talking to journalists in Lahore.