KARACHI, June 13: The leadership of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League has developed differences over the by-election in PS-75, Juhi constituency, in Dadu District, scheduled for August 7.

These differences surfaced on Monday when the chief minister had to rush to Islamabad on a special flight and returned on Tuesday after an overnight stay. Insiders said he failed to muster support from the party’s high command for his decision to award party ticket to Dr Shajila Leghari.

The seat had fallen vacant last month following the death of Dr Manzoor Leghari, who had secured it by defeating Pakistan People’s Party candidate in the last general elections of 2002.

While the chief minister has fielded Dr Shajila Leghari, wife of Manzoor Leghari, the Federal Minister for Power, Liaquat Ali Jatoi, wants his brother-in-law, Chakar Khan Shahani, to contest the seat against Syed Ghulam Shah Jilani of the PPP.

The Chief Minister, Arbab Rahim, who is also the PML’s provincial president, enjoys full support of the party’s Secretary General, Sardar Nadir Akmal Leghari, in granting party ticket to Dr Shajila. However, Mr Jatoi sees Arbab’s decision as interference in his traditional political fiefdom.

Insiders said that when the party ticket was awarded to Dr Shajila, without taking Mr Jatoi into confidence, he dispatched his brothers to the party chief, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, and conveyed him his discontentment over the decision, which could pave the way for the return of the PPP candidate.

After the matter was brought to the notice of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, he summoned Arbab by sending his special plane on Monday night to sort out the differences.

But according to close circles in the ruling party, after hearing both sides, the prime minister failed to take any decision and advised both sides not to make their differences public and wait until the President returned from his foreign visit.

According to close circles of the Jatoi group, the Jatois and Shahani played an important role in the victory of Dr Manzoor Leghari in the 2002 elections, and if the party ticket was not withdrawn from Dr Shajila, Shahani would contest the election from the platform of the Dadu Ittehad Panel.