As the National Assembly is due to resume its session at Parliament House here on Monday afternoon after two days' break, the Capital will again be the focus of political activity till the third phase of local bodies elections early next month.More influential political leaders, groups, factions, tribal leaders, heads of biradaris and clans were converging here to lobby for their candidates for the office of District Nazims and City Nazims, who have now more clout and powers than federal ministers.
Political analysts say that in the Punjab province there seems to be an open revolt against the nominated candidates of the Chief Minister, and in almost all 34 districts, with the exception of one or two districts since federal ministers and political personalities like Hamid Nasir Chattha in Gujranwala, Majeed Malik in Chakwal, Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo in Okara, Sher Afghan in Mianwali, Farooq Leghari and Nasrullah Dreshak in Rajanpur want their sons, or close relatives, to be given the slot of District Nazim, while rival groups within the ruling coalition have also lined up their own candidates.
President of Pakistan Muslim League Shujaat Hussain has called a meeting of the Central Executive of the party here on Monday to sort out differences on candidates. However, analysts have predicted failure of such an effort and said that ultimately President Pervez Musharraf would have to intervene to save the coalition from falling apart on the issue of local bodies elections.
Analysts said that the Chaudharis of Gujrat had promoted their Jat biradari during the past three years and now they want to see maximum number of Jats holding effective powers in local government institutions, whereas the other biradaries, like Arains, Rajputs, Gujjars, Kashmiries, Syeds, and Baloch also have their vote banks and influence.
They said that President Musharraf, who resolved the differences among the ruling Muslim Leaguers on the candidature of District Nazim Rawalpindi and nominated Akhlas on Saturday, would ultimately finalise the names of the candidates for the provinces of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan.