GUJRAT, March 9: The Pakistan People’s Party plan to put up a good show in Jhelum by forging an alliance between the traditional rivals Raja Afzal and Chaudhry Altaf groups may not work due to differences within both the camps over the future course of action.

The Altaf group is more interested in striking a deal with the PML-N whereas the Raja Afzal group, that was once considered a strong political force in Jhelum, is now seemed more vulnerable due to differences in its ranks.

The announcement made by MNA Raja Asad that he would contest as an independent rather than a PPP nominee and that too from NA-62 rather than NA-63, the constituency he had won twice in 2002 and 2008 as a PML-N nominee, has exposed the weaknesses in the Afzal group.

His father Raja Muhammad Afzal, a political stalwart of Jhelum, has also vowed to contest from NA-62 as a PPP nominee in the next elections.

MNA Raja Asad told Dawn that PPP did not have large following in Jhelum district. He said because of a better literacy rate people here are politically more aware. He said the poor performance of present PPP government had further eroded PPP vote bank.

“So keeping in view all these factors, the PPP can never be a good choice for politicians in this part of the country,” Mr Asad said.

PML-Q’s Altaf group wants to keep all its options open till the dissolution of assemblies. Its leaders say that forging an alliance with the PPP’s Raja Afzal group or joining the PML N are still on their cards.

Former district Nazim of Jhelum Chaudhry Farrukh Altaf, the scion of the late former Punjab governor Chaudhry Altaf Husain, told Dawn that anything could happen within the next 10 days regarding the group’s future course of action.

Asked whether there was any contact between him and the PML-N leadership, he replied that there was no harm in keeping such contacts with the political leadership.

To a question that by forging an alliance with their arch rival the Raja Afzal group, both the groups can be in a better position, he said that he was busy in consultations with his political aides in the local politics on all the options.