OKARA, June 1: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani’s plan to visit Haveli Lakkha was a fiasco, resulting not only in resentment among his hosts, but also wastage of millions of rupees spent on the arrangements from the district government coffers.

The prime minister was initially invited to the district by his newly-inducted advisor and MNA Manzoor Wattoo. Following confirmation of the date (June 1) for the PM’s visit, large-scale preparations began for Gilani’s reception in Watto’s camp. The prime minister was scheduled to attend a ‘hi-tea’ to be hosted by Mr Wattoo and then address a public meeting.

Meanwhile, the prime minister planned to use the opportunity to visit his close relatives, the Gilanis of Hujra Shah Muqeem, known in the districts’ politics as Shah Muqeem Group, the arch rivals of Wattoos. Accordingly, certain changes were introduced in the PM’s visit schedule. Now he had a stopover with Gilanis before visiting Mr Watto. Gilanis, who also head the district government with Asad Gilani as nazim, also made elaborate arrangements befitting the ‘occasion’, reportedly spending millions of rupees from the funds at their disposal.

That, however, complicated things for the prime minister as well as his hosts. Ahead of June 26 by-polls, Mr Wattoo, who is pitching his son Khurram for a National Assembly seat, obviously did not want PM to go for the `stopover’ which could have cost him politically.

On the other hand, Gilanis had their own kinship claim to the high-profile visit which could have added to their political worth.

The third group having certain stakes in the now-cancelled visit of the PM comprises staunch PPP voters and office-bearers who are not happy with Mr Wattoo’s inclusion in the party as he defeated their candidates in NA-146 and NA-147. They are the ones who had the last laugh in the whole affair. The party office-bearers resented wattoo’s entry in the PPP folds as they were never consulted by the high-command in this regard. The sentiment was reflected in PPP’s defeated candidate Sardar khizar Hayat Ladhoka’s joining PML-N.

Two days before cancellation of the visit, police from all over the district had been deputed for PM’s security, while ‘VIPs’ bee-lined to the venue to inspect arrangements. However, this all proved an exercise in futility as prime minister’s visit was cancelled. — Correspondent