In south Punjab, disgruntled PPP leaders fear party ‘baggage’

Many electing to contest as independent candidates

MULTAN: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has once again failed to convince disenchanted members from south Punjab to contest the forthcoming general elections on party tickets.

Former minister Abdul Qayum Jatoi has announced he will contest the polls as an independent candidate. Former minister for religious affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi also announced he would be contesting from NA-175 Liaquatpur as an independent candidate.



Former president Asif Ali Zardari came to convince Hamid Saeed Kazmi to accept a party ticket but returned with no success to show after a one-hour. There is also speculation that both Jatoi and Kazmi will join Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) due to the PPP’s weak standing in the region.



The PPP is reportedly aiming to gain five National Assembly seats in the country’s largest province. When reached for comments on the meeting, Kazmi told The Express Tribune that he was not some obscure personality identified as a PPP leader in place of his own name. He said Asif Ali Zardari and Makhdoom Ahmad Mahmood  invite him to contest elections from NA-176 but he respectfully declined.



Kazmi also said it was premature to reveal which party he will join after emerging victorious in the polls. He said the ballot would also hold a mirror to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), with its stance on the Finality of Prophethood and the 2008 Mumbai carnage compromising national unity.