CHAKWAL: In a dramatic political twist, the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPP), which was grappling to find its lost space for the last four decades in Chakwal, got a new lease of life as former parliamentarian Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Dullah yet again stunned political observers by bagging the ticket of PPP for NA-58 after quitting Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) which he had hardly joined six weeks ago after denouncing the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on whose ticket he was elected MNA by a big margin in 2018.

Mr Dullah who was elected as member of the Punjab Assembly in 2013 elections on Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) ticket was also awarded the ticket for the same constituency by the PML-N in 2018 elections. However at the eleventh hour he returned the ticket of PML-N and grabbed PTI’s ticket for NA-58 after its candidate, Sardar Ghulam Abbas, lost his appeal before the Supreme Court against the rejection of his nomination papers.

Mr Dullah repeated the same move now as he was supposed to contest the election under the banner of IPP which he joined on November 29 last year during a meeting with Jahangir Khan Tareen.

Known as the master of playing political cards appropriately, Mr Dullah not only secured the support of two PTI leaders Advocate Chaudhry Taimoor Ali Khan and his brother Advocate Chaudhry Naushad Ali Khan, he also successfully persuaded them to join PPP.

“The joining of Mr Dullah, Mr Naushad and Mr Taimooor has strengthened the PPP in Chakwal and we would present three seats from Chakwal as gifts to our chairman,” PPP district president Raja Rizwan Dandotsaid.

Taimoor Ali Khan and his brother Naushad Ali Khan had submitted their nomination papers for NA-58 and PP-20 hoping that the PTI would award tickets to them. However, the PTI preferred Ayaz Amir in NA-58 and Ali Nasir Bhatti in PP-20, who have now been rendered “independents” as the party was denied its symbol, bat, by the Supreme Court on Saturday’s midnight verdict.

PPP district President Raja Rizwan Dandot and Qazi Arshad had submitted their nomination papers for NA-58 and PP-20 respectively.However both candidates withdrew their nomination papers in favour of Mr Dullah and Mr Naushad who got the party tickets on Saturday.

Talking to Dawn on Sunday, Mr Taimoor said although his brother Naushad Ali Khan would contest the election under the banner of PPP from PP-20, he would also vie for NA-58 as an independent candidate. However in the evening he also withdrew his candidature and announced that he was joining PPP at his residence.

Sons of Chakwal’s notable personality Chaudhry Mohammad Ali, Taimoor Ali Khan and Naushad are in the position of rejuvenating PPP by damaging PTI as they enjoy a considerable vote bank due to their influential family background.

In PP-21, PPP district president Raja Rizwan Dandot had also filed his nomination papers but according to him his candidature was withdrawn mistakenly as his lawyer had submitted withdrawal application for PP-20 along with NA-58 by mistake.

“I have filed an appeal before the Election Commission requesting it to allow me to contest the election from PP-21,” Mr Dandot said.

Although Mr Dullah was allocated thesymbol of ‘arrow’, Mr Naushad was given the symbol of ‘pomegranate’ instead of ‘arrow’.

A source in the returning officer’s office said Mr Naushad was not given PPP’s arrow symbol because he mentioned his affiliation with PTI in his nomination papers and also submitted the PPP ticket late at night. However, Mr Naushad said he had filed an appeal before the ECP seeking the allocation of ‘arrow’ symbol.

The PPP also changed its horses in Talagang’s two constituencies, NA-59 and PP-23, at the eleventh hour. The party had issued tickets to Qazi Mohammad Altaf and Khalida Parveen in NA-58 and PP-23, respectively, but then took the tickets back from them and allocated them to Hassan Sardar (NA-59) and Azmat Hayat (PP-23). However in PP-22, the party’s district general secretary, Raja Mazhar Hussain, is the candidate who had started his campaign a month ago.

PPP swept the polls in Chakwal in 1970 when Mohammad Amir Khan, the father of veteran columnist Ayaz Amir, and Malik Mohammad Sadiq were elected MNAs. The last time PPP won two seats - one of National Assembly and the other of Punjab Assembly - was in 1993 when Sardar Mumtaz Khan Tamman and Sardar Ghulam Abbas were elected MNA and MPA, respectively. After 1993, PPP could not win a single seat in Chakwal and Talagang.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2024