Raja Asad to contest elections as independent candidate

Joined PPP in January to help region but promises were not kept, claims Asad.

JEHLUM: Politician Raja Muhammad Asad, who had recently joined Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), will be running as an independent candidate from Jehlum in the upcoming elections, Express News reported on Sunday.

Asad, an MNA of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) from Jehlum, had joined the PPP in January.

He claimed that he decided to join PPP to help his region, but promises were not kept. Hence, after discussing the matter with close acquaintances he decided to quit the ruling party and take part in the elections independently.

Earlier, Raja Afzal, Asad’s father, was a strong politician of the PML-N in central Punjab.

His differences with the PML-N started in the recent by-election for provincial assembly seat in Jhelum (PP 26) which fell vacant after the disqualification of PML-N’s MPA Chaudhry Nadeem Khadim.

Eventually he, along with his two sons – Raja Muhammad Safdar and Raja Muhammad Asad – joined the PPP.

Raja family had claimed that Malik Riaz was instrumental in convincing them to join the PPP because the Rajas were feeling disillusioned after they fell out of favour with the Sharif family.