Jumping ship: Khalid Lund bids adieu to PPPP

The candidate was earlier given a ticket to contest from Mirpur Mathelo.

SUKKUR: The Mahar brothers seem to have won the pre-election round against the Lund brothers by securing the Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians’ tickets in Ghotki as another member of the Lund clan left the party. The decision came after PPPP reportedly withdrew Khalid Ahmed Lund’s ticket for the seat NA-200 in Mirpur Mathelo and gave it to Sardar Ali Gohar Mahar.

The Mahar brothers of Ghotki had reportedly joined the PPPP on the condition that four tickets -NA-201 and PS-6 in Ghotki, PS-8 in Khangarh and PS-2 in Sukkur - will be given to them.



This adjustment , however, did not go down well with the Lund brothers, including Fayyaz Ahmed Lund and Babar Lund, who not only quit the party but announced to contest elections against the Mahar brothers at NA-201 and PS-8 in Khangarh. Khalid was still in the race after he was awarded party ticket at NA-200. After the Mahars asked the others to withdraw their candidacy, a meeting of PPPP’s parliamentary board was reportedly held in which it was decided that Khalid’s ticket at NA-200 would be withdrawn and awarded to Sardar Ali Gohar.

Splitting up

The decision might have appeased the Mahar brothers but according to reports, Khalid Lund felt that the party had disgraced him and immediately announced his departure from the PPPP.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Khalid said that he was disheartened by the discriminatory attitude of the PPPP leadership, confirming that he had quit the PPPP. After leaving the party, Khalid is reportedly in talks with other political groups - of which, the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional seems to be the top contender.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 18^th, 2013.