Switching loyalties: Lund brothers jump PPP ship to join PML-F

They felt PPP was favouring the Mahar brothers over them.

SUKKUR:

The political landscape of Ghotki has changed once again - the influential Lund brothers have decided to jump ship from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to the Pakistan Muslim League - Functional (PML-F).

The move came after the Lund brothers felt a bit stifled by the presence of the Mahar brothers - another group with significant political clout in Ghotki - who joined PPP in September last year. During the last poll for NA-201, Ali Mohammad Khan Mahar, who had contested the election independently, and Fayyaz Ali Khan Lund, who earned the PPP ticket for the constituency, finished head and shoulders above the rest of the candidates. A massive 59 per cent of the votes went to Mahar while Lund managed to sway 40 per cent of the vote bank his way.

This time around, Sardar Ali Gohar Mahar and Lund had applied for the PPP ticket for NA-201, bringing them in competition with one another even before voters would head to the ballot box. Moreover, the Mahar clan’s chief, Sardar Mohammad Bux Khan Mahar, has applied for party ticket at PS-8, Khangarh, but Babar Ali Lund had also done the same.

When contacted by The Express Tribune, Fayyaz Lund confirmed that he was quitting PPP and joining PML-F. “I’ve already met the party’s secretary general, Imtiaz Shaikh, and I’m going to meet Pir Pagara soon, after which I’ll formally announce that I’ve joined the PML-F,” he said. “We brothers are quite disappointed with the lukewarm attitude of the PPP leadership and therefore thought it better to quit.” He added that PML-F will give them the party ticket at their desired constituencies.

Rumour has it

There were some reports that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) has extended its hand to the Dharejo brothers of Ghotki, saying that the party will support them against the Mahar brothers in the upcoming general elections. During the last elections, Jam Saifullah Dharejo contested for PS-3 in Sukkur as a PPP candidate and faced competition in the form of Sardar Haji Khan Chachar. Dharejo eventually came out on top, clinching nearly 70 per cent of the votes. Now Chachar has also joined PPP and applied for the party ticket for the constituency.

When contacted, Dharejo denied that he had been contacted by JUI-F leaders. “We have been in the PPP and will always support the party.” He was hopeful that PPP would give them the party tickets in constituencies where they stand a good chance of winning. The general secretary of JUI-F’s Sindh chapter, Dr Khalid Mehmood Soomro, was not available for comments.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 24^th, 2013.