PFUJ polls to be held on August 27 in Peshawar 

ISLAMABAD: The PFUJ Unification Committee (UC) after due consultations with the majority of stakeholders decided on Saturday to complete the process of unification by arranging PFUJ polls on August 27, 2016 in Peshawar.

According to a press release, the last phase of consultations was conducted on Saturday at the PFUJ headquarters in Islamabad with a large number of former office bearers of the PFUJ and UJs including some holding offices currently.

The 2013 BDM members would serve once again as the electoral-college for the August 27, 2016 PFUJ elections.

The UC has also named one of its own members, Rahimullah Yousufzai as the Chairman of the election committee authorized to conduct the August 27 polls. Yousufzai would finalise at the earliest the names of the members of the election committee in consultation with the UC. As soon as this task is completed, the committee will announce the election schedule culminating on August 27 with August 25-26 earmarked for BDM meeting.

The UC has already received a vast amount of input suggesting the same via e-mail, skype and telephonic contacts from many of the stakeholders who could not attend today’s consultation at the PFUJ HQ.

Pervaiz Shaukat, former PFUJ president who had bitterly opposed the splintering of the PFUJ after the 2013 controversial elections contributed significantly during today’s consultations and it was on his suggestion that the UC decided to arrange the unification polls at the earliest with the 2013 BDM members serving once again as the electoral college.

Afzal Butt, president of one of the two defunct PFUJ factions and his former general secretary Khurshid Abbasi also enthusiastically endorsed the suggestions made by Pervaiz Shaukat. The two actively participated in the consultations and their input helped immensely in obtaining a unanimous decision on the date of election as well as on the electoral college. 

Rana Azeem, the president of the other defunct faction of the PFUJ while expressing his regrets for not attending today’s consultations, over telephone told the UC Chairman M. Ziauddin on Friday night that since he had just returned after performing Umrah, he was not in a position physically to immediately undertake journey to Islamabad. He, however, expressed his full support to the UC’s efforts for unification.

Amin Yousuf, Secretary General of the defunct Rana Azeem faction who is  currently in London, before his departure while talking to UC chairman over telephone expressed his full confidence in the unification process and pledged to endorse any and all decisions taken by the UC for the purposes of unification.

A number of other office bearers of the defunct Rana Azeem faction attended the consultation process.

A number of former and some current office bearers of UJs who attended the consultations keenly participated in the discussion and enriched the consultations with their highly valuable suggestion.

Those 2013 BDM members who participated in the irregular Murree affair disowned even by Amin Yousuf, Secretary General of the defunct faction that had taken upon itself to hold the so-called PFUJ elections in Murree where no UJ exists are welcome to participate in the August 27 polls by renouncing their participation in Murree affair.

In the interest of fair-play and democracy the UC would be willing to discuss this matter with any BDM member who had participated in the Murree affair and now would like to distance him/herself from it.

Three UC members—Hussain Naqi, Shahidur Rehman and M. Ziauddin—conducted today’s consultations. Rahimullah Yousufzai could not come because he had undergone an eye-operation on Friday. Khawar Naeem Hashmi and Habib Khan Ghori could not attend because of their professional engagements. All those who were not present were taken into confidence on the consultation process and the decisions taken over telephone.