MULTAN, Sept 12: The seriousness of PML-N Punjab president Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khosa’s challenge to his arch rival Sardar Farooq Ahmed Leghari in the upcoming electoral bout in their home district of Dera Ghazi Khan is being questioned widely due to his choice of candidates.

The Khosas and Legharis of Balochi origin are diehard opponents of each other in Dera politics. The two tribes trace the history of their rivalry from time immemorial, although there have been occasions when they came under the same umbrella in their quest for power. For instance, Maj Edward who conquered Dera for Britishers in 1849 made the then chiefs of the tribes stand as his courtiers. Similarly, they jointly shared power in the Dera district council after the local bodies polls of 1979, 1983 and 1987, which were held under the military regime of Gen Ziaul Haq, with Legharis as chairman and Khosas or their representative as vice-chairman.

However, it was being expected of the present Khosa chief that he would give a tough time to the Leghari chief in the upcoming elections, who had caused considerable losses to both the mainstream political parties, PPP and PML-N, through his acts during his four-year stay in the presidency and the later verbal onslaught. Expectations were higher still after the kindling of a political romance between the leadership of both of the country’s major parties because of the Musharraf government’s apparent efforts to sideline them ahead of the October elections. Analysts were foreseeing a tough time for the Leghari chief in the wake of a PPP-PML-N understanding in Dera.

However, the emerging political scene of the district is telling another story — a possible truce between the two tribal chiefs for preservation of feudalism in their respective domains. The Leghari chief being the apple of the eyes of those who hold the strings is getting the lion’s share.

Millat Party chief Sardar Farooq Leghari is a candidate for NA-172 (Dera-II). Previously, he had always returned from NA-133 — supposedly a Leghari stronghold but with some 50,000 anti-Leghari votes that went to the son of Khosa Sardar, Saifuddin, in 1993 when he was pitched against Mr Leghari.

With the attachment of Dera city with the National Assembly seat from Choti Zarin, political analysts were anticipating a really tough time for the former president who was now hopeful for premiership. The city has never been a favourable ground for Legharis. Mohammad Khan Leghari, the father of Farooq Leghari, suffered the shock of his life in 1971 when he could not even save his security deposit in the election for a National Assembly seat in a constituency including the Dera city.

On the other hand, Zulfiqar Khosa has succeeded in cultivating urban votes for himself and consequently he has been unbeatable in a provincial assembly constituency comprising the Dera municipality and some of its outskirts. Sardar Khosa’s son Saifuddin pitched against the Leghari chief would have been the ideal situation for anti-Leghari forces after the inclusion of Dera city in NA-172. However, after Sardar Khosa’s alliance with Sardar Leghari’s cousin, Maqsood Leghari, it could not be so. The Khosa-Maqsood alliance is apparently a challenge to the Leghari chief. However, when one looks at the choice of candidates put forward by the alliance, it becomes clearly evident that Maqsood is playing the game of his chief and the Khosa Sardar merely trying to secure his tribe’s previous acquisition of one NA and one PA seat.

There are three national assembly and seven provincial assembly seats in Dera district. Sardar Leghari is in the run for NA-172 and his son Awais for NA-173. Against these local political heavyweights, the alliance has fielded the sons of Maqsood Leghari, who have no political standing whatsoever.

For NA-171 (Taunsa), the Khosas have fielded former MNA Farooq against PPP-dissident Khwaja Sheraz of PML(QA). The Legharis have no particular candidate in this constituency. And if to believe the grapevine, the Leghari Sardar has given green signal to Khwaja Mohammad Daud to support the Khosa candidate.

Khwaja Daud has been elected MPA from Tuansa twice and commands considerable influence in the area. He could not qualify for the elections, being a defaulter of ADBP. He has been an ally of Leghari Sardar in local politics.

The other candidate for NA-171 is Khwaja Jamaluddin Asghar of PPP. The Khosa chief is reportedly demanding his withdrawal as part of seat adjustments with the PPP.

The Khosas have fielded week candidates against Legharis in PP-243, 245 and 246 while the Legharis are doing the same in PP-242 and 244 as a ‘goodwill gesture’. However, on the two Khosa seats, the PPP has fielded strong candidates in the persons of Irfanullah Khosa and Sardar Alam Khitran.

Therefore, the PML-N Punjab president has been pressing the PPP leadership in Punjab to vacate PP-242 and 244 as part of a seat adjustment formula. The PPP leadership in Dera has started raising voice against the ‘double standards’ of the PML-N leader who has struck a deal with politically neutral Maqsood Leghari on one hand, which is going in favour of the Leghari chief, and is demanding a walkover from the PPP without espousing any cause of the party that it may either have a share in suitable constituencies or its “tormentor” be given a tough time on his home ground.