LAYYAH, Sept 21: Though the most backward district of the Punjab, Layyah has too many stakeholders in the political arena who devise their own strategies to make a ‘wining combination’ irrespective of what is the election policy of their respective parties in the rest of the country.

For instance, neither the PPP nor the PML-N has any kind of electoral alliance with Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) in any part of the country, but here the Jakharrs of the PPP and the Swags of the PML-N have not fielded candidates of their parties against MMA’s Asghar Ali Gujjar, a former MPA, who is contesting election from two provincial constituencies PP-264 and PP-266, to have his support in their struggle to become MNA.

There are two main groups in Layyah. One is led by Malik Niaz Ahmad Jakharr, Sahibzada Faizul Hasan Swag and Asghar Ali Gujjar while the other by Ghulam Haider Thind and the Seharr clan. Jakharr belongs to the PPP, Faizul Hasan Swag the PML-N and Asghar Ali to the Jamaat-i-Islami.

Though Thinds had contested the 1997 general election from the PML-N’s and Seharrs from the PPP platform, they have now joined the PML-QA. District Nazim Shahabuddin Seharr belongs to this group. He is the son-in-law of Ghulam Haider Thind.

The coming election will not be the first occasion when political heavyweights will be supporting candidates of other groups in defiance to their political affiliations.

There are two national and five provincial assembly seats in Layyah district against it previous share of one-and-a-half national and three provincial assembly seats.

The father of district Nazim Shahabuddin, Bahadur Khan Seharr, is contesting from NA-181 on the PML-QA ticket against Faiz Swag of the PML-N, Musa Raza Shah of the PPP and Hafiz Rabnawaz of the MMA. Faiz Swag had returned thrice as MNA in the last four general election. He lost to the PPP’s Jahangir Seharr in 1993.

The PPP candidate, Musa Shah of Jehan Shah, is a stopgap choice of the party leadership after the defection of Seharrs. As the MMA candidate does not enjoy much support, a neck-and-neck contest in likely between Seharr and Swag. Chaubara tehsil and a better part of Karor Lal Esan tehsil fall under this National Assembly constituency.

Comprising mainly Layyah tehsil, NA-182 has five candidates. Arch-rivals Niaz Jakharr (PPP) and Ghulam Haider Thind (PML-QA) are the main contenders. The other candidates are Saqlain Bokhari (PML-N), Abdul Razzaq Rahi and Saeed Ahmad Malwana (independent). Saqlain is a stopgap candidate.

Jakharr returned in 1988 and 1993 general election when the PPP formed government in the centre, while Thind beat him in the 1997 general election. To further frustrate the aging Jakharr, Haider Thind fielded his son-in-law Shahabuddin Seharr against him in the election for the office of district Nazim in 2001.

Jakharr was in a better position but his close aide Ijaz Ochlana defected to the Thind-Seharr camp. Consequently, Shahabuddin won in the run-off polls by a few votes. Now, Jakharr wants to avenge the defeats at the hands of Thind in the last two electoral bouts fought on different grounds.

For this, he has struck an electoral alliance with MMA’s Asghar Ali who is contesting from PP-266 which is a part of NA-182. Asghar had returned to the provincial assembly in 1988, 1990 and 1993 while he did not contest in 1997. He enjoys considerable support of the settlers in Layyah tehsil. To capitalize his popularity, Faiz Swag is also supporting him in PP-264 which falls under NA-181.

Other candidates in PP-264 are; Mohyuddin Seharr, younger brother of district Nazim Shahabuddin (PML-QA), Abdul Shakoor and Asim Iqbal (independents). Chaubara tehsil and Chowk Azam areas are a part of this provincial assembly constituency.

In PP-266, comprising Layyah city and adjoining rural areas, besides Asghar Gujjar, Fazal Husain Sumra (PML-QA), Abdul Shakoor Swag (PML-N) and three independent candidates — Ghulam Farid, Hafiz Jamil and Sanaullah Gujjar — are in the run.

There are six candidates in PP-262. They are; Chaudhry Altaf (PML-QA), Ahmad Ali Aulakh (PML-N), Saeed Ahmad Samtia (PPP), Hafiz Rabnawaz (MMA) and independents Inamul Haq and Tariq Mahmood. The contest is between Aulakh and Samtia. This constituency falls under NA-181 and comprised Fatehpur and Karor.

There are only three candidates in PP-263 which comprises the areas which come between Karor and Layyah tehsils. It partially falls under two National Assembly constituencies of the district. The contestants are Malik Allah Bakhsh (PML-N), Iftikhar Ali Seharr (PML-N) and Safdar Abbas Bhatti (PPP).

Iftikhar Seharr is the son of the late MNA Jahangir Khan Seharr. He has revolted against his cousin and district Nazim Shahabuddin for continuously ignoring him in the local politics. He reportedly first tried to get a PPP ticket, and on failure, he joined the PML-N. He has potential to play the role of a spoiler for his uncle Bahadur Seharr in NA-181 and rival candidate of PML-QA Allah Bakhsh.

PPP candidate Safdar Abbas is drawing more attention of the voters. His father, Ghulam Abbas Bhatti, is a business tycoon in Dubai (UAE) who enjoys very cordial relations with PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto and Arab royals of the UAE. Since jumping into the election arena, Abbas Bhatti has reportedly been receiving threatening calls from some unscrupulous elements and the UAE embassy in Pakistan has expressed concern over his security, a fact which the Dera Ghazi Khan range police DIG had reportedly admitted during a press conference in Layyah on Thursday last.

There are six contestants in PP-265 which comprises areas of Paharrpur, Kot Sultan, Juman Shah, Lodhana, Ghoth and riverine belt alongside the river Indus. The candidates are; Sajjad Husain Tangwani (PML-QA), Ijaz Ochalana (PML-N), Malik Noor Nabi Jakharr (PPP), brother-in-law of Niaz Jakharr, and independents Baqir Ali Malwana, Saeed Ahmad Malwana and Ghulam Rasool Kharani. Contest is between Ochlana and Jakharr.

Although the candidates are trying their best to mobilize party workers and voters, electioneering in the district is lacklustre.