GUJRAT: The PML-N Gujrat chapter has rejected any possibility of seat adjustment or electoral alliance with the PML-Q in the upcoming general elections and the party leaders in the district will contest the elections as an independent group if their party goes for a seat adjustment with Chaudhry Shujaat’s party.

The announcement was made in a meeting of PML-N’s former lawmakers, ticket aspirants and party office-bearers from the district at Kotla Dera after discussing the preparations for the election.

The meeting was hosted by PML-N Gujranwala division president and former MNA Abid Raza Kotla and participated by former lawmakers and ticket holders of the party in 2018 election, including ex-MNAs Nawabzada Ghazanfar Ali Gull, Jaafar Iqbal Fatta Bhand, Malik Jameel Awan, former MPAs Nawabzada Haider Mehdi, Moin Nawaz Warraich, Mian Tariq Mehmood Dinga, former Mayor Gujrat Municipal Corporation Haji Nasir Mehmood, former chairman Gujrat district council Tanveer Kotla, Gujrat PML N president Tahirul Mulk, Naseer Abbas Sidh, Aleemullah Warraich, Ali Warraich, Javed Butt and others.

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The meeting unanimously decided to not support the proposal of the seat adjustment with the PML-Q if the party leadership went for it and suggested to the party to field its own panel of candidates on four NA and eight PA seats of Gujrat.

The meeting decided that a delegation of former party lawmakers would call on PML-N supremo Mian Nawaz Sharif to share the Gujrat chapter’s concerns over the reports of seat adjustment with the PML-Q. The local leaders made former provincial minister Mian Tariq of Dinga a focal person to talk to Nawaz Sharif.

It is also learnt that a formal letter is also being sent to PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal, informing the party leadership about the decision of Gujrat chapter.

Talking to Dawn, Abid Kotla said there was no difference for the Gujrat PML-N leaders between the governments of Parvez Elahi and Caretaker CM Mohsin Naqvi as both had targeted the PML-N men in the district. Mr Naqvi’s government had only been facilitating Parvez’s close kin Salik Hussain, Shafay Hussain and PML-Q in the Gujrat affairs.

“How can the PML-N workers join hands with those PML-Q leaders who have consistently been victimising them (PML-N men),” asked Mr Kotla and added that initially the local party chapter was willing to give some space to the sons of PML-Q chief Shujaat Hussain but both these brothers did not bother to address the reservations of the PML-N and continued with their policy of highhandedness in the administrative affairs of Gujrat.

He said the PML-Q had facilitated the provision of police guards and patrol vehicle to his rivals, Musa Elahi and Naeem Raza Kotla, without being entitled to have such protocol, which was not acceptable to the PML-N.

Abid Kotla said though Gujrat PML-N leaders were loyal to the party’s senior leadership but in case it made a seat adjustment with the PML-Q, the PML-N’s former lawmakers and office-bearers would contest the election by forming an independent group against the Chaudhrys of the PML-Q.

He announced that the independent group would later join the PML-N after winning the elections.

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2023