MULTAN, Dec 30: The candidature of Pakistan Seraiki Party (PSP) chief Barrister Taj Mohammad Langah for NA-187 (Bahawalpur) on a PPP ticket has sparked a lot of controversy and resentment both in the PPP and among Seraiki nationalists.

The seat was vacated by Aitzaz Ahsan who was also elected to the National Assembly from a Lahore constituency in the Oct 10 general election.

The constituency of NA-187 mainly covers Yazman Tehsil of Bahawalpur district. Although the Bahawalpur district is mainly populated by Seraiki-speaking people, there are large settlements of non-Seraikis in Yazman Tehsil. The political power in the area has gone to Jat and Arain clans.

Yazman is a stronghold of Bahawalpur district Nazim Chaudhry Tariq Basheer Cheema, who has found a Jat in the person of Chaudhry Aitizaz Ahsan from within his party ranks to bank on Jat and PPP votes in the area. Being an outsider, Mr Ahsan could never become a political threat to Mr Cheema in the latter’s stronghold.

For the by-election, Mr Cheema tried to get his brother-in-law Sajjad Jathol the PPP ticket, who had not been able to make it in the Oct 10 election from the National Assembly constituency of Chishtian. However, the party’s high command allotted the ticket to Barrister Langah.

In the Oct 10 election, Barrister Langah’s PSP had fielded its central leader Shahzad Abdullah Irfan from NA-187, but his tally of votes was negligible.

Barrister Langah’s candidature on a PPP ticket has raised many questions including whether he has abandoned his party and what message PPP wants to convey through its choice of candidate for the by-election.

Despite repeated efforts, Barrister Langah could not be contacted during the last couple of days due to his election-related engagements. However, a local Urdu daily has quoted him as saying: “You can call it an alliance, but it would be better to talk on the subject after the by-election on Jan 15”.

When the correspondent contacted PPP acting secretary-general Raza Rabbani by telephone, the latter switched off his cell phone after hearing the question as to whether Barrister Langah had joined the PPP.

When the same question was put to the recently-released PPP vice-chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, he refused to answer it saying: “Ask Benazir Bhutto as she is the one who has awarded the ticket to Mr Langah.”

On the other hand, Punjab PPP president Qasim Zia had to face an embarrassing situation in Vehari the other day when, at a district convention of the party, workers protested against the candidature of Barrister Langah. Bahawalpur Zila Nazim Tariq Cheema, too, has reportedly expressed his inability to support Barrister Langah.

However, political analysts say that the ‘Langah Controversy’ has proved a blessing in disguise for Mr Cheema who has already been supporting his local ally former federal minister Syed Tasneem Nawaz Gardezi, who is contesting the by-election from NA-187 as an independent candidate. His son Tehseen Nawaz is the deputy of District Nazim Tariq Cheema.

When contacted, PPP’s spokesman in Islamabad, Farhatullah Khan Baber, said Mr Langah had joined the PPP for election. “Now he cannot use the platform of Seraiki Party,” he said categorically.

Mr Baber said the PSP was a dormant party which had no following among the electorate. When reminded that Barrister Langah had been an ally of Farooq Leghari on the platform of National Alliance in the Oct 10 elections, Mr Baber said: “It was an imperfect world where the PPP-Langah deal was a normal political course.”

He said Mr Langah had remained vocal for the Seraiki cause and if he was elected on a PPP ticket, his voice would gain more strength.

However, other Seraiki nationalist parties are labelling Barrister Langah a ‘traitor’, who has once again betrayed the Seraiki cause. It may be added here that earlier, in 1988, Barrister Langah had joined the PPP in a similar fashion abandoning the Seraiki Suba Mahaz. But when the PPP denied him the ticket for general election, he formed Pakistan Seraiki Party.

When contacted in this regard, PSP additional secretary-general, Hasan Raza, said Mr Langah was no more in the party. He said the PSP was registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan and a meeting of its central executive would be called soon to elect a new president.

Former PSP secretary-general Mansoor Karim Siyal said the Seraiki party might be a dormant organization, but the Seraiki question was not a dormant issue. He said that if the PPP was serious to give the Seraiki issue a boost, then there were more towering political personalities in the PPP ranks from the Seraiki belt who could champion the cause. “I have doubts about the sincerity of the PPP leadership in this regard,” he added.