MUZAFFARGARH: Former PPP parliamentarian and ex-federal minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan Jatoi has left the PPP and now he will contest election as an independent candidate.

He said he stuck to the PPP in its hard times but this time he will be independent candidate on provincial seat while his son, Daud Jatoi, will contest election on NA-185 seat as independent.

Qayyum was an MNA on the PPP ticket in 2002. His brother-in-law Sardar Moazzam Ali Khan Jatoi had left the party two years back and joined the PTI. He is a PTI candidate now and contesting election against Daud Jatoi for NA-185.

In the last tenure of the PPP in the government, both of them were federal ministers.

Here in Muzaffargarh, the PTI has yet to announce candidates for two seats of NA 182 and 183. Zeeshan Gurmani who left the PML-N and joined Soba Mahaz Tehreek which later merged into PTI was also disappointed by the decision of the PTI leadership. He said still he was hopeful to get NA-183 ticket.

Jamshed Dasti claimed that his discussions were going on with PTI leaders and both seats would be declared for Pakistan Awami Raj party candidates through seat adjustment.

According to sources, a big change in the local politics is expected soon as Ghulam Mustafa Khar is convincing Noor Rabbani Khar to contest election on PTI ticket. They sources said PTI chief Imran Khan had asked Ghulam Mustafa Khar to bring Noor Rabbani and Hina Khar to the PTI.

On Saturday, Ghulam Mustafa Khar submitted his nomination papers for NA-183 also. He is already a declared candidate of the PTI for NA-181. A reliable source said Mustafa was building pressure on Noor Rabbani to join the PTI; otherwise, he would also contest election against him on NA-183 seat.

On the other hand, when Noor Rabbani met Asif Ali Zardari in Multan three days back, the PPP president asked him to let Hina contest election from NA-183 and he should go for NA-182.

Noor Rabbani said that these seats were vacant for him because he was contesting election from PPP tickets.

The PTI has confirmed four tickets for Muzaffargarh candidates. Ghulam Mustafa Khar will contest from NA-181, Syed Basit Sultan Bukhari is the candidate for NA-184, Moazzam Ali Khan Jatoi for NA-185while Amir Talal Gopang has been announced as the PTI candidate for NA-186. The party leadership has yet to announce candidates for other two constituencies.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2018