LAHORE: Issues like “personal considerations” and “retribution” are taking precedence over the image of united opposition in Jhelum by-polls for National Assembly’s constituency NA-63.

Polling for the seat, which fell vacant after the death of PML-N MNA Raja Iqbal Mehdi, is scheduled to be held on Aug 31. He had defeated the then PTI candidate Mirza Saeed with a margin of 72,000 votes in the 2013 elections.

The PML-N has picked the late Mehdi’s son Matloob while the PTI has fielded Fawad Chaudhry, a scion of Chaudhry Altaf family, for the seat. No other known political party has pitched its nominee for the electoral bout.

Interestingly, the PML-Q and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), both staunch critics of the PML-N, have announced support for the ruling party’s candidate instead of siding with the PTI’s.

PML-Q leader Muhammad Basharat Raja held a press conference in Jhelum a couple of days ago to announce his party’s backing for Matloob.

PML-Q, JI support ruling party candidate

Sources said Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi did not give audience to Fawad’s brother former federal minister Chaudhry Shahbaz until the press conference. Chaudhry Shahbaz desired to seek PML-Q’s support for Fawad being his relative.

Basharat Raja cited personal reasons for the decision when contacted by Dawn.

“I’ve family and biradari relations with Matloob Mehdi and the party (PML-Q) leadership knows well about it,” he said, implying that the decision enjoyed backing of the party.

But insiders say that Pervaiz Elahi was annoyed with Fawad, a TV talk show host, as the latter had ditched the party to join the PTI. Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi does not mask his feelings about Fawad.

“He was with us in 2002 and we made his elder brother (Chaudhry Shahbaz) a federal minister then. Later, he joined the APML before embracing the PPP and returned to our folds and contested 2013 polls from our ticket. Now, he again ditched the party to join the PTI.”

He insists the PML-Q took a decision against an individual who is “an international lota (turncoat)” and it had nothing to do with the unity of the opposition alliance against the current rulers.

The JI is another opposition entity which, in the words of PTI spokesman Naeemul Haq, stabbed in the back of Imran Khan’s party by going with the PML-N in the by-polls.

A JI central leader, who requested not to be named, said they opposed Fawad for his being an “entrant” in politics.

JI district emir Irfan Haider, however, have no qualms about venting his party’s views.

“The JI workers abhor Fawad and that’s the basic reason behind opposing him.”

Chiding Naeemul Haq’s remarks, the central JI leader reminded him that the PTI had did the same with the JI in Dir by-polls and by not removing the Bank of Khyber managing director who had leveled false allegations of financial misappropriations against KP finance minister, one of the JI members in the provincial cabinet.

Fawad himself laments that as the election commission has barred PTI chairman Imran Khan from rallying in his support in Jhelum, the party is not seen anywhere in his election campaign.

He says Matloob Mehdi’s campaign was being run earlier by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s son-in-law retired Capt Safdar and now Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s son Hamza Shahhaz is involved electioneering with the help of over two dozen parliamentarians. “But, not a single PTI MP has come to join my election campaign.”

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2016