Swapping roles: Foe ready to step into besieged MPs shoes
Sources say his political rival – a PPP Punjab senior leader – is ready to join the ruling party to supplant him.
Warraich, a PPP Punjab senior leader is ready to join the ruling party to supplant him. PHOTO: SHAHBAZ MALIK/EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
As a Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker faces a fake degree case, there are rumours in circulation that his political rival from Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is poised to replace him by joining the PML-N.
The PML-N National Assembly member from NA-98 Gujranwala, Mian Tariq, who had defeated the former Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Punjab chapter president, Imtiaz Safdar Warraich, is facing the allegation of submitting a fake degree during May 11 general elections.
Sources privy to the development have told The Express Tribune that taking benefit of the situation, the PPP leader Warraich has decided to join the PML-N and is pinning hopes on the decision of the court that may disqualify Mian Tariq.
Sources said following the development, former information minister Qamar Zaman Kaira approached Warraich to win him back. The meeting took place at Warraich’s chamber in Gujranwala a couple of days ago.
When contacted for confirmation, Kaira denied having any meeting with Warraich over the issue. “I did not meet Warraich,” Kaira said. Responding to a question, he said Warraich was part of the PPP and would never quit the party under any circumstances.
Warraich, who has served as president of the PPP Gujranwala division and Central Punjab chapter, was elected twice an MNA – in 2002 and 2008, from NA-98 – his home constituency in Gujranwala. He was also elected as a member of the Punjab Assembly in 1993.
“The rumours [that he is joining the PML-N] are being spread by the opponents in order to distort Warraich’s image well ahead of time as they are preparing for the by-election,” a staff member of Warraich said.
Talking about Mian Tariq’s fake degree issue, he said Tariq had never been to the US but he claimed to have a US degree.
Earlier, Lahore High Court (LHC) had disqualified Tariq’s younger brother Mian Mazhar Javed from the membership of Punjab Assembly for having a fake degree.
He said there was a possibility that the degree submitted by Tariq was a copy of his brother’s degree as both showed the same names for controller and examiner.
At the general elections 2013, Mian Tariq managed to get the PML-N’s ticket for contesting at the National Assembly seat. However his brother, who had been denied the party ticket for Punjab Assembly PP-97 seat, contested as independent candidate against the PML-N fielded candidate. Due to this fact, the two brothers have not been able to get the required support from their constituency.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 7th, 2013.
As a Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker faces a fake degree case, there are rumours in circulation that his political rival from Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is poised to replace him by joining the PML-N.
The PML-N National Assembly member from NA-98 Gujranwala, Mian Tariq, who had defeated the former Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Punjab chapter president, Imtiaz Safdar Warraich, is facing the allegation of submitting a fake degree during May 11 general elections.
Sources privy to the development have told The Express Tribune that taking benefit of the situation, the PPP leader Warraich has decided to join the PML-N and is pinning hopes on the decision of the court that may disqualify Mian Tariq.
Sources said following the development, former information minister Qamar Zaman Kaira approached Warraich to win him back. The meeting took place at Warraich’s chamber in Gujranwala a couple of days ago.
When contacted for confirmation, Kaira denied having any meeting with Warraich over the issue. “I did not meet Warraich,” Kaira said. Responding to a question, he said Warraich was part of the PPP and would never quit the party under any circumstances.
Warraich, who has served as president of the PPP Gujranwala division and Central Punjab chapter, was elected twice an MNA – in 2002 and 2008, from NA-98 – his home constituency in Gujranwala. He was also elected as a member of the Punjab Assembly in 1993.
“The rumours [that he is joining the PML-N] are being spread by the opponents in order to distort Warraich’s image well ahead of time as they are preparing for the by-election,” a staff member of Warraich said.
Talking about Mian Tariq’s fake degree issue, he said Tariq had never been to the US but he claimed to have a US degree.
Earlier, Lahore High Court (LHC) had disqualified Tariq’s younger brother Mian Mazhar Javed from the membership of Punjab Assembly for having a fake degree.
He said there was a possibility that the degree submitted by Tariq was a copy of his brother’s degree as both showed the same names for controller and examiner.
At the general elections 2013, Mian Tariq managed to get the PML-N’s ticket for contesting at the National Assembly seat. However his brother, who had been denied the party ticket for Punjab Assembly PP-97 seat, contested as independent candidate against the PML-N fielded candidate. Due to this fact, the two brothers have not been able to get the required support from their constituency.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 7th, 2013.