Multan district: PTI and PML-N to battle it out

The leading party may need PPP support in municipal and district councils, analysts say

MULTAN:

A tough competition is expected between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) in the elections for Multan’s municipal corporation and the district council.

Analysts say the leading party will likely need support from the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) to form government. With several pockets of support in the district, the PPP is likely to play an important role in both the municipal corporation and the district council.

The three parties have fielded chairmen and vice-chairmen panels in all 68 UCs of the municipal corporation.

Unlike most others districts in the province, the PML-N stalwarts in Multan have been successful in resolving their differences ahead of the election. Governor Muhammad Rafiq Rajwana had visited the district twice in the November to encourage settlements with dissidents.

Party tickets were allotted by panels headed by MNAs, MPAs and party ticket holders for general elections of 2013 in constituencies where the PML-N had lost.

Leaguers contesting as independent candidates are a fraction of the candidates contesting on the party ticket. The most significant among them is Amin Vains (who lost a provincial assembly election in 2008). He is contesting for UC-54 chairman seat against party candidate Kausur Shah (supported by former MNA Tariq Rasheed).

In the PTI, allotment of tickets was overseen by Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his son Zain Qureshi. The Qureshis have focused their energies on campaign in UCs included in NA-148 and NA-150. Rifts between Abdul Waheed Arain and Rana Mahmood (prominent PML-N leaders in the area) are likely to benefit PTI candidates in these constituencies.  At rallies held in UC-62 (Qutabpur) and UC-56 (Farooqpura), Qureshi’s speeches were addressed to the PML-N led governments. He said the PML-N had failed to deliver on its 2013 campaign promises. He said the PTI would emerge as the largest party in local government elections in Multan.

Former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani and his son Ali Moosa Gillani are leading the PPP’s campaign in NA-151 and NA-152 UCs. The Gillani family has significant vote bank in both constituencies. However, Sikandar Bosan and Javed Ali Shah of the PML-N had beaten Gillanis in 2013 general elections. Analysts say the PML-N led governments’ failure to redress grievances of farmers affected by the monsoon floods is likely to tilt the balance in favour of candidates supported by the Gillanis.

At a recent campaign rally in UC-93, Gillani supported demands for the establishment of a seraiki province to address longstanding grievances. He said if elected the PPP candidates would work towards solution of problems faced by the peasants, women and religious minorities. In NA-153, Ashiq Diwan is leading the PML-N candidates’ campaign and the Noon family is supporting those contesting on PPP tickets. The constituency is predominantly rural. There are 117 union councils in the district council. The PML-N has fielded chairman and vice-chairman panels in all of these UCs. The PTI has fielded panels in 108 UCs and the PPP in 67 UCs.

Elected unopposed

Three chairmen and vice chairmen panels have been elected unopposed. Two of these (in UCs 25 and 60) are PML-N ticket holders.

Disqualified

A PML-N candidate for chairman’s seat in UC-43 and a PTI panel in UC-5 have been disqualified from the election. PML-N’s Malik Nasir Javed was disqualified on Lahore High Court Multan bench directive on failure to submit details of his assets. PTI’s AD Rahmani (candidate for chairman) and Zia Haider Gillani (candidate for vice chairman) was also disqualified on court directive for providing incorrect information to the ECP.

Deployment of army personnel 

In an application written to the ECP, PTI’s Shahbaz Qureshi has sought deployment of army personnel at all polling stations. The application stated that his opponents were soliciting support from sectarian outfits and threatening his supporters with dire consequences if they voted for him. The UC includes Shah Rukn Alam, Sanjnabad and New Multan areas. A number of deobandi seminaries are located in the area.

Campaign attractions:

In UC-36, a PML-N candidate on ward councillor seat, Sheikh Waseem alias Gullu Badshah, owns a paan shop. He has arranged distribution of free paans at his shop till the Election Day.

In UC-50, independent candidate Sheikh Abdullah is contesting for a ward councillor seat with bucket as election symbol. As a campaign strategy, he is offering plastic buckets instead of polythene bags to customers to carry merchandise bought from his general store.

Opposing a liberal Pakistan: Coalition of religious parties

Several religious parties including the Jamaat-i-Islami and the Jamiat-i-Ulema (Fazlur Rahman) have launched a front, the Islam Dost Mahaz, to oppose Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s call for a liberal Pakistan.

Wafaq ul Madaris Senior Deputy Qari Haneef Jalandhri says the parties had united, “to defeat the so-called liberal parties” in the upcoming elections in Multan district.

The Islam Dost Mahaz has announced support for 100 chairman-vice chairman panels and 330 councillors in the district. Most of the candidates are contesting polls on a Jamaat-i-Islami ticket: Naeem Akhtar Somroo candidate for vice chairman from UC-1, Kaleem Akbar Saddique (chairman candidate) and Qari Amjad (vice chairman) from UC-4, Malik Awais Ahmad (chairman candidate) and Mrs Asif Akhwani (vice chairman) from UC-5, Aqeel Yousaf Bhatti (chairman candidate) and Jahanzaib Khan (vice chairman candidate) from UC-10, Professor Akhtar Kamran (chairman candidate) and Sagheer Khan Samozai (vice chairman candidate) from UC-13, Rana Tariq Naseem (chairman candidate) and Naveed Ahmad Araain (vice chairman candidate) from UC-15, Malik Nasir Kambho (chairman candidate) and Malik Irfan Khokar (vice chairman candidate) from UC-41, and Akhtar Alam Qureshi (chairman candidate) from UC-59.

Jalandhri says the first and second phases of the local government elections had been rigged in favour of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. “We will not tolerate any rigging in the third phase.” He says they were striving to establish a system under the Quran and Sunnah. “The district administration and the police should stick to their own duties and not interfere in the elections.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 4^th, 2015.