GUJRAT: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has fielded its candidates against the scions of PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain in Gujrat as it announced tickets in eight constituencies out of a total 12 seats of the district on Friday.

Mian Fakhar Mushtaq Pagganwala, the scion of former PPP MNA Mian Mushtaq Pagganwala (late), has been awarded PPP ticket for PP-31(Gujrat city) where Punjab PML-Q general secretary Chaudhry Shafay Hussain is a candidate.

Similarly, Mubeen Arshad (a woman) and a young lawyer Azfar Badar Warraich (son of two times president of Gujrat district bar association Badar Warraich) have been awarded tickets against former federal minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain in NA-64 (Gujrat-Kunjah) and PP-32 (Kunjah), respectively.

Earlier, the PML Q leadership would often claim that the PPP may not pitch its candidates against its nominees in Gujrat due to a cordial relationship between co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and PML-Q chief Shujaat Hussain.

PML-N aspirants, workers refuse to vote for ‘Q’

However, the PPP issued tickets in all three constituencies of Gujrat where scions of Q chief are candidates.

It is learnt that Mr Zardari made a phone call to Fakhar Pagganwala on Thursday, giving him a go-ahead to contest from Gujrat city’s PA seat as the local party workers have been asking the senior leadership to let Mr Pagganwala contest the elections.

The party has also nominated Raja Idrees and Zaibun Nissa from PP 29 (Tanda-Karianwala) and PP 30 (Jalalpur Jattan) but no ticket issued in NA-63 (Jalalpur Jattan-Tanda) where PPP’s ex-MNA Nawabzada Ghazanfar Ali Gul is PML-N nominee against PML-Q’s Chaudhary Hussain Elahi.

PPP stalwart Qamar Zaman Kaira and his cousin Nadeem Asghar Kaira have been issued tickets in NA-65 (Lalamusa-Dinga) and PP-33 (Lalamusa), respectively, and a former union council nazim Mian Khalid Rafique has been given party ticket in PP-34 (Dinga).

The PPP could not launch any candidate for NA-62 (Sara-i-Alamgir-Kharian-Kotla) and PA seats PP-27 and 28. Meanwhile, local PML-N cadres in three constituencies of Gujrat where the party did not field candidates under a seat adjustment with the PMLQ, have declined to vote for Q.

A meeting of local party officials from NA-64 and PP-31 and 32, was held at the political office of former mayor of Gujrat Municipal Corporation Haji Nasir Mehmood on Friday.

Ex-city MPA Imran Zafar, Aleemullah Warraich, an aspirant of PML-N ticket for NA-64, Mufeezullah Dar, former union council chairman, vice chairmen, councilors and other workers were also among the participants of the meeting.

The participants lodged protest against party decision of not awarding tickets to its own aspirants and rejected the seat adjustment with the PML-Q.

They said it was hard for them to stamp Q symbol tractor.

The meeting also discussed the option of party ticket aspirants contesting as independent candidates from all three seats but the decision was left to Mr Mehmood who was asked to convey the workers concerns to the senior party leadership.

Published in Dawn, January 13th, 2024