RAWALPINDI: Finally, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan’s chosen candidate was nominated as the mayor of Rawalpindi city on Tuesday, a senior leader of the PML-N confirmed to Dawn.

Sardar Naseem was nominated by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is also the president of the ruling PML-N, after two-day-long consultations at the Prime Minister House.

Known to be close to Chaudhry Nisar, Sardar Naseem is also the president of the PML-N Rawalpindi city.

However, the ruling party is yet to finalise the name of the District Council chairman.

Sajjad Khan, who was supported by Hanif Abbasi, and Sheikh Arsalan backed by some party leaders from Lahore and KP failed to get the support of the party leadership for the top slot.

When contacted, Sardar Naseem confirmed that he was given the go-ahead signal by the party for the election to the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC) scheduled to be held on December 22. “I will submit my nomination papers tomorrow,” he said.

A senior PML-N leader told Dawn that the party faced problems in finalising the names of candidates. During the local government elections, Sardar Naseem told his supporters that he would become the mayor.

However, he said, newcomers to the PML-N such as Hanif Abbasi and others started a campaign against Sardar Naseem’s candidature after the party won 40 union councils in the city.

Hanif Abbasi wanted to bring a candidate from NA-56 for the top slot of the RMC but things changed when the party decided to finalise the name after consulting with the prime minister.

“Hanif Abbasi gave two names to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for the post of mayor but he referred the list to the prime minister.