GUJRAT: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has trusted a newcomer in NA-85 (Mandi Bahauddin-Phalia) by awarding party ticket to Chaudhry Mushahid Raza, a businessman from United States who belongs to Chelianwala village of Mandi Bahauddin district and his only qualification is said to be being a friend of retired Capt Safdar, the son-in-law of the party’s Quaid Nawaz Sharif.

The party this time has not fielded a former federal minister, Mumtaz Ahmed Tarrar, a veteran politician from Mandi Bahauddin, who according to sources, had excused himself from contesting the poll and recommended his nephew for a PML-N ticket. However, the party leadership did not agree to the idea, considering his nephew a “weak candidate”.

Mr Raza is said to be a fast friend and business partner of retired Capt Safdar and has no political credentials.

The party has also not awarded tickets to its two outgoing MPAs from Mandi Bahauddin district -- Shafqat Mehmood Gondal of Malakwal and Akhter Bosal, a cousin of ex-MNA Nasir Iqbal Bosal.

Instead, Sikandar Gondal has been given the PML-N ticket for PP-67 (Malakwal), whereas Pir Mehfooz Shah Mashhadi, also an ex-MPA of the party, has been fielded in PP-68 instead of Mr Bosal as the number of PA seats in the district has been reduced from five to four.

Sources in the PML-N said that Mr Tarrar had excused himself from contesting 2018 elections on “health ground and because of his age”. However, the locals say that Mr Tarrar had failed to deliver in the constituency, particularly with regard to launching any uplift project there and that was the actual reason for his staying away from the upcoming poll.

Interestingly, Mumtaz Tarrar, who was first elected as an MNA in 1985 non-party elections from the previous NA-83 (Gujrat-IV), has been skipping polls whenever he felt his chances to win looked thin.

For instance, in 1988 he had won as a Pakistan People’s Party nominee, but in 1990 the PPP awarded ticket to Zafarullah Tarrar, a son of ex-MNA Ghulam Rasool Tarrar. Mr Mumtaz also skipped 1993 elections, but contested and won 1997 poll as a PML-N candidate. Then again he did not contest the 2002 elections since the senior PML-N leadership was in exile. However, he again got the party ticket in 2008 elections, that was later withdrawn following protest by local party leaders and workers and he did not contest the poll.

However, in 2013 the PML-N again awarded Mumtaz Tarrar a ticket, ignoring ex-PML-Q MNA Ijaz Chaudhry who had again joined the ‘N’ by then. Mr Tarrar, however, lost the seat to independently contesting Ijaz Chaudhry who later joined the PML-N.

In 2015, the Supreme Court had disqualified MNA Chaudhry over concealment of assets and other charges on the petition of Mr Mumtaz Tarrar. In the subsequent by-poll held in June 2015, Mr Tarrar won the seat on the PML-N ticket and was made federal minister for human rights last year when the federal cabinet was expanded by the then prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

On the other hand, the PTI has fielded former Mandi Bahauddin Tehsil nazim Imtiaz Chaudhry, a brother of ex-PML-Q MNA Ijaz Chaudhry for May 25 election in NA-85, whereas ex-PPP MNA Tariq Tarrar Raika has been given ticket for PP-66 (Phalia). Tariq Tarrar was aspiring the party ticket for NA-85.

The PPP has fielded ex-MPA Asif Basheer Bhagat, who had contested the by-poll of 2015 on this seat and bagged some 30,000 votes.

Jamaat-e-Islami’s Riaz Farooq Sahi is a strong contender for MMA ticket for the constituency.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2018