PML-Q in disarray in six Punjab districts

The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) is in disarray in six Punjab districts, which is the main focus of its attention in the January 8 parliamentary elections to return to the power corridors. The distribution of tickets and internal fighting has especially hit the districts of Multan, Muzaffargarh, Rahimyar Khan, Attock, Chakwal and Bhakkar.
All the PML-Q tickets for the three National Assembly seats of the Attock district are in a family. City District Nazim Mian Faisal Mukhtar got ticket for his brother-in-law Mian Amer Nasim, but his mother Begum Farrukh Mukhtar dropped him and intended to contest poll.
Later her health deteriorates. Then she put his elder son Mian Fazal Mukhtar for this constituency. Former Punjab labour minister, Rana Qasim Noon is contesting polls as an independent candidate from NA-153 (Jalalpur Pirwala).
In Muzaffargarh, Begum Hina Rabbani former minister of state joined PPP, Begum Shahida Dasti daughter of Sardar Amjad Hameed Khan Dasti also expressed her concern on the attitude of Punjab former chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, his niece Eman Waseem, daughter of Major Tahir Sadiq (Retd), the Attock district Nazim, and her husband, Waseem Gulzar, are the PML-Q nominees in the Attock district. Waseem actually hails from Mandi Bahauddin.
This is the unique district where a husband and wife are contesting on two National Assembly seats. Malik Allahyar Khan, 85, opted out for health reasons and old age from NA-58, and is satisfied with the award of the PML-Q ticket to his son, Malik Aitbar, for a Punjab Assembly seat. Pervaiz Elahi is the party candidate from this constituency.
PML-Q nominee Waseem Gulzar is contesting from NA-59, which his wife had vacated for Shaukat Aziz's election in 2004. Eman Gulzar is PML candidate from NA-57 which was earlier won by Malik Amin Aslam. He has rebelled against the party and is contesting as an independent. Aslam had won the NA-57 in October 2002 elections by securing 39,921 votes and defeated Hafiz Saeed of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) and Salman Sarwar, who had got 23,933 and 23,988 votes, respectively.
Previously, Malik Allahyar Khan was elected from NA-58 by bagging 88,784 votes with Malik Sohal Khan of PML-N and Iftikhar Ali Khan of PPP trailing with 41,373 and 10,302 votes, respectively. Eman Waseem had won NA-59 by getting 65,672 votes while Dr Sikandar of the PPP and Lieutenant Colonel Pervez Khan (Retd) had bagged 41,674 and 12,884 votes, respectively.
In Chakwal district, the picture is also not encouraging for the PML-Q. Two prominent candidates, Mansoor Hayat Tamman and Faiz Tamman, who had secured a large number of votes, were ignored by the PML-Q as Pervaiz Elahi decided to contest for NA-61. Faiz had bagged 101,664 votes while Mansoor 76,171 votes in 2002. The former is now PML-N's nominee while Mansoor PPP's.
PML-Q candidate Major Tahir Iqbal (Retd), former federal minister, for the NA-60 Chakwal withdrew in favour of PML-N contestant Ayaz Amir because of party infighting in the district. Last time, Tahir had got 72,331 votes while Ayaz 70,080 votes.
The two PML-Q candidates for an equal number of National Assembly constituencies of Bhakkar have now returned the party tickets and have opted to be independents. Abdul Majeed Khan was the PML-Q nominee for NA-73 while Rashid Akbar Nawani for NA-74.
In 2002, PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain was elected to the National Assembly from NA-74 by securing 103,508 votes. He had defeated PML-N's Dr Afzal Dhandla. PML-Q's Sanaullah Khan was elected from NA-73 by bagging 95,131 votes. He had defeated PML-N's Abdul Majeed Khan. In addition, the PML-Q has, in the words of one of its senior leaders, fielded very weak and unknown candidates for at least eleven constituencies of Lahore.
"Before allocation of PML-Q tickets for Lahore seats, I, while sitting in Lahore's party office, asked Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain to call the candidates. I was surprised when he told me that those standing inside our room in a row were the ones who had been allotted party sponsorships," a senior PML-Q leader told The News.
This stalwart was born and brought up in Lahore and knows who is who of the town. "I couldn't recognise even one of them," he said. Former commerce minister Hamayun Akhtar was going to badly lose from one Lahore constituency for obvious reasons - Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan was vying for the same NA-124 seat as the PML-N had also committed its support to him.
After Aitzaz's withdrawal, Hamayun, with his vigorous campaign backed by massive funding, now feels comfortable to win. Abdul Haleem Khan, former Punjab minister, is another PML-Q candidate for a Lahore seat. He is being considered formidable, but has been described as controversial because of his involvement in different land deals.