ISLAMABAD:
In light of speculation that the NA-151 by-election between Shaukat Bosan and Abdul Qadir Gilani became such a closely contested fight only due to Bosan receiving a the combined endorsement from the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaaf (PTI), the PTI has refuted that Bosan receiving any support from either.
Abdul Qadir, son of former PM Gilani won the seat vacated by his father by securing 64,628 votes. Shaukat Bosan, brother of former federal minister Sikandar Hayat Bosan (who has lately joined the PTI) secured 60,532 votes but his achievement was noted as a result of support from major opposition parties including the PML-N, PTI and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI).
“The PML-N did not support Bosan,” said former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi while talking to The Express Tribune. “Bosan had neither the ticket nor the support of PTI but managed to give a tough time to the ruling PPP. The independent candidate had our sympathies but neither we nor our leadership participated in his election campaign.”
In addition, Qureshi revealed that the PML-N Multan chapter split with its president Muhammad Bilal Butt who supported Bosan, whereas a local leader of the party Malik Ashiq Ali Shira supported the Gilani camp. “The PML-N candidate withdrew his nomination papers, however the reason PML-N did not participate in the by-elections was its fear of ending up in third-place,” he added.
Responding to a question about the support of JI to Bosan, Qureshi said that religious parties have never contested elections from the NA-151 constituency.
On the other hand, Qureshi expressed his surprise over the ‘jubilation’ of the ruling camp. In his opinion, for the election to be so closely contested despite being the constituency of the former prime minister should be an ‘eye-opener’ for the PPP and Yousaf Raza Gilani in particular. This is the constituency where billions of rupees had been spent over the last four years, thousands of jobs given, and funds from the Benazir Income Support Programme invested, he pointed out.
When asked whether there was any possibility of forging an alliance with the PML-N in the future, Shah Mehmood Qureshi said “There is no change in the PTI’s stance of not going into an alliance with any party.”
Published in The Express Tribune, July 23rd, 2012.
COMMENTS (60)
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A vote for the PPP and PMLNQ is a vote by serfs for their criminal bosses. In civilised societies people do not vote those who are tried , tested and failed parties. Some of the commenter's are so much up each others ring pieces that they do not know where their own one begins and the other ones ends
My question -- if Qureshi is right that PTI did not support Bosan -- did it support PPP -- is that the reason why GIlani won?
I am sure if Bosan had won -- Qureshi and IK would have jumped in to claim the credit.
Qureshi Sahib, you have made a wrong choice of joining PTI. Wrong decision made by an experienced politician.
Qureshi Sahib, please quit PTI because you will ruin your political career in PTI. After quitting PPP, you should have joined PML(N).
You will see the margin grow considerably when there are separate candidates of PTI and PML (N) in the general elections....
What are the GROUND REALITIES in next election: -PTI is not going to sweep however will emerge as SECOND LARGEST PARTY not in terms of SEATS but in TERMS of VOTES -PML (N) vote Bank will DROP. -PPP & PMLQ will be the GREAT LOSERS as YOUTH IN URBAN areas are much with PTI
Note: Above predictions are subject to FREE & FAIR ELECTION otherwise MIGHT HAS RIGHT
@Junaid Atique: There was no IK because of rift in party... SMQ and Javed Hashmi's rivalry with Bosan is known and that is why the whole bosan clan is hob knobbing with PML N. SMQ's statement is more internally directed than anything else. Further why wasnt this stated when all media was blaring out that due to combined opposition they were able to narrow the gap? Think...
Gillani family is very Influential in Multan. Qureshi family is very Influential in Multan. Bosan family is very Influential in Multan. Hashmi family is very Influential in Multan.
Same old faces with different tags. When will a common educated talented middle class person of Multan can contest against these pirs and feudals and be able to won an election.
We should not forget that most of the political pundits declared this by-election a contest between Supreme Court and PPP government. Therefore it was duty of Supreme Court sympathisers to come out with full force and use all their resources. PML(N) asked its candidate to step down in favour of PTI supported candidate. PML(N) voters went to polling stations in great numbers inspite of the fact that it was not their candidate. PML(N) kept its words honestly but it was PTI who let down Supreme court and did nothing to save its honour. PTI has proven that its support to Supreme Court is fake and cannot be trusted.
@citizen: You should have completed the sentence. I come to your rescue. Unless you do not teach the masses and they do not develop the sense to distinguish between right and wrong nation will remain hijacked to such political elite. No one wants to teach to masses so keep on dancing to the tune being played by these political musicians.
SMQ hypocrite of highest grade, why did he not make this statement before the election.
Such is the level of our educated lot even when it comes to politics. yes PTI and PMLN both were supporting Bosan but NOT officially . get over it. he was an independent candidate. don't u stupid think that Had Nawaz Sharif/ Shahbaz Sharif or even Hamza Shahbaz Sharif come to Multan and rallied for Bosan or SMQ or Imran Khan or Javed Hashmi did the same, ask ur self honestly this question, still he would have lost by ONLY 4 thousands? Do you NOT think these people rallying for him would have got him atleast 20K votes?
so wake up. locally we all know people support each other. people belong to same village, family and biradari so they do support each other staying behind the scens.
Nawaz shairf's PMLN and SMQ's supporters (PTI) supporter Bosan together but NOT offically and NOT on the larger scale but just to give him a push.
And that was the sole reason that Mr.Gillani Jr. Lost in all of his own UC.. let's just be fair to our self and just not blame others for the sake of blaming it. Had he gotten a PMLN ticket or a PTI ticket we would all be bashing them rightly but since he was contesting independently and he didn't get any rally from the Sharifs and the Khan's and Makhdooms, we cannot say he was backed fully by the two parties.. so just relax guys
SMQ is right, PPP lost its vote bank. Had Bosan the facility to use BISP, Gilanis would have gone for ever.
PTI A government of singers and dancers and weirdods Should it come ?? never
May I have your attention please ? May I have your attention please ? Will, The Real Imran Khan please stand up ? I repeat, Will The Real Imran Khan please stand up ?
Being a pakistani plz think for few seconds that whats delieverd by PML(N)& PPP from last few decads,see the example of chine and where we stand now.
If people wants to try and debate again on the old politicians then nothing can be done good for this country. Sarrtay raho Bijli kay baghair :S
@Mirza: VERY TRUE
@omer ch......hahahaha....nice joke what made you think that by apposing PML-N, Imran khan is helping PPP to win......it is PML-N who supported every decision of PPP and showed friendly opposition...and now blaming imran as PPP part....
Four possible scenarios to consider: 1: PTI supported Bosans ( which they actually did) and still lost. It means that their balloon has burst an Tsunami was in a tea cup.
2: PTI did not support Bosan therefore PTI supporters did not vote for him. Well in that case if you look at the turnout (125000 votes cast) then it means that PTI has not got much of a vote bank in that constituency. Hmm that is really bad news for IK supporters and a disaster for SMQ.
3: PTI did not support Bosan as a party but allowed its voters to vote for him (well they cannot vote for PPP) and still lost! That is a tragedy of epic proportions as well. Because you have all the right wing parties behind one candidate along with local machinery of Punjab Govt (which was not supporting Gillanis for obvious reasons) and media blurting out expletives at PPP and PPP still won!!
4: PTI did support the candidate along with PML-N and JI but had him contest election as an independant candidate so that they can use it to save their face in case they lost, which they have. Hence the denial now.
Its a lose lose situation for PTI which ever way you look at it!
Correction??
It should be PTI. or has the foreign minister just lost track of which party he belongs to..
@ m.usama.kabbir
You are a marvellous person. Gillani is done in politics now. His family involved in Ephidrine case which is a serious crime. Gillani is now Grinded upside down. His son will taste the jail environment very soon.
The PTI is guaranteeing the destruction of the hopes and dreams of millions by playing spoiler and allowing the PPP to win again. Five more years of incompetence will ruin millions of lives.
In coming elections, voting for PTI would mean voting for PPP as PPP will get the benefit. PTI cannot bring any change with old faces of other parties.
Do not overlook the fact that PPP won a Provincial Assembly seat the day PM Gilani was convicted, 26th April. That seat was a PML-N seat for the last 30 Years :)
There is nothing wrong to support one or the other candidate that is your right But it is a lie that T I P did not support Bosan How one can trust a man who tells lies if he wins in electionsHe has the looks of "I am cheating you".
If so..........then it was a tactical blunder on PTI's part.
Mr. Qureshi has started repenting on joining PTI. It was his most incorrect decision. PTI has only policy and that is to criticize PML(N). Nothing else. This policy will not work for PTI. It will benefit PPP.
wow what double standards. Hats off to pti as they are the only one doing politics with such hypocrisy. No one else could've done it. Please people dont vote for the hypocritical party
Good answers. PTI wasnt backing Bosan, but the Bosan baradari was. The Bosan baradri since are supporters of the PTI, it is correct to say that Shaukat Bosan enjoyed sympathies of "PTI". PTI's vote did not get polled. And by the way if PTI wanted to win this election, SMQ, JH and Bosan combined have significant influence to win any seat in Multan comfortably.
Qureshi Sahib, please accept the reality that PTI has no courage to contest elections. After quiiting PPP, you have chosen a drowning boat. PTI is nothing but a balloon filled by establishment. Its rallies are funded by some forces. I request you to please re-consider your decision of joining PTI.
Hmm in deed the grapes are sour Mr Qureshi :-)
After all what difference it make to people of Pakistan either PPP won or PMLN?? Soon everyone get bored of this PPP-PMLN MAFIA and think about a new Pakistan under the leader ship of the Great Imran Khan.
It is amazing to read the comments of the GT road party loyalists. I mean Noon is a party of pockets of central and upper punjab/potohar. Its astonishing to see the kind of helucinations noon league cadre is going through. And NO im not a PTI supporter incase you wondering!
@Ch. Allah Daad: PMLN was also supporting Bosan so now he needs to join PPP as both PTI or PMLN defeated in this election.
No one will remember these by-elections in 8 months time. The people of Pakistan are not stupid, PPP has lost support in its heartland and will not get many seats in the next elections.
@Mirza: dont distort the facts.
shah mahmood plz save your future and join pml(n) before it is too late
Discussing PTI is a wastage of time. It is a party being run by establishment. They have no vision. They are just helping PPP by splitting vote bank of PML(N). They are providing great benefit to PPP.
Bosans have learnt the lesson. They will quit PTI and join PML(N).
@m.usama.kabbir: Shah mehmood was not candidate in by election in shah mehmood constituency. thats why ppp won by big margin.
Mark my words right now that Qureshi and Hashmi will not run for elections from Multan. They will run for elections from Upper Punjab and people of Upper Punjab will be stupid to vote them as they are Greedy People and nothing else and they will get votes and will go away afterwards. Imran Khan will prove to be the Biggest Spoiler that will Help PPP to win by dividing Opposition in Punjab and in Hazara Regions.
@Junaid Atique: Sir, what has IK done to increase his seats by many many folds? Anything positive, any personal or party achievement? Since the other parties are no good and failed so give me a chance is not leading from the front. I give you that much, his seats would triple or quadruple compared to his last presence in the assemblies. Regards, Mirza
i cannot believe the 64,628 people who gave vote to Abdul Qadir Gillani :/ . I mean seriously ????
We all know why PTI is running away from the bye elections despite fair electoral lists............it simply take off their veil of so called huge popularity and sweaping election victories.
Its a shame that they are claiming that they did not support bosan, dont know who are they trying to fool around. My home is in that constituency and I prefectly know who was supporting whom..........If he would have won the election, they would have been jumping with claims of victory, popularity and power.
Before election, Multan was filled with PPP and PTI flags. If PTI didn’t endorse Shaukat Bosan then why it didn’t say that before the election. Why Bosan is disowned by PTI after his defeat. There are certain facts that neither PTI nor Shah Mahmood Quershi can deny. Bosan has a tacit support of PTI and has he won then PTI has owned him. But after his defeat he has become a thorn in PTI butt.
Multan supposed to be Shah Mahmood Queeshi and Javed Jashmi’s home. If these guys can’t deliver at their own then we can they deliver? It is time for PTI to rethink its strategy. Multan’s by-election has proved that PTI is not what it claims it is. It is NOT going to sweep the next election. It must choose lesser of two evils; PPP or PML (N). If it doesn’t then it will be the spoiler in next election and will be responsible for PPP to form next government.
PTI needs to grow up and face the mandate of the people; it will either win or loose .It cannot keep on hiding
If MQM PPP PML-Q are together for election why not PML-N and PTI
I request Qureshi Sahib to please quit PTI as it is a Tonga Party. Please join PML(N) and secure your political future.
An independent candidate give tough time in Ex Prime minister constituency in by election. the biggest seat of PPP where billions spent. It means only 10 to 20 seats for whole PPP in next election
If he thinks the PML-N would have come third and therefore didn't field a candidate, what does he think this says about the PTI which did the same thing.
lol Cant Stop Laughing. Frustration Nothing Else . PTI Shah Mehmood Qureshi Please Accept Reality lol Get Well Soon PTI :)
Strange that Gilani won by a narrow margin in his own constituency and won by a massive majority in your constituency ! Get over it and accept that 2012 IJI failed to defeat Bhutto's PPP. You are perhaps taking it too personal. It is not about Gilani. It was never about Gilani. It was always about PPP and Multan election proved that PPP is here to stay !
Shah never told the truth when he was in PPP, how can people believe him now when he was not given the foreign ministry? According to him PML-N and PTI did not support Bosan, so where did he get those votes from? If he is a man of his words then he should contest next elections from NA 151
He is right. If PTI was supporting Boson why there was no Imran Khan. You have to realize that Imran Khan is the factor that will affect the next election.