Chiniot district: Most candidates unable to show party flag
Splits in PPP, PML-N give PTI hope
A view of the shrine of Hazrat Sufi Muhammad Ali in Chiniot near Chenab River. PHOTO: NNI
CHINIOT:
Local government elections will be held in Chiniot for the first time on November 19, since it became a district in 2009. Even though the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz swept the provincial and national assembly elections in 2013, most political parties have not distributed tickets to candidates contesting local government elections this year.
Three major groups endorsing candidates for district councils have emerged: the Qazi Group (headed by Hassan Ali Qazi of the Pakistan Peoples Party), Maulvi Group (under MPA Maulana Elyas Chinioti), and the Syed Group (headed by Syed Kaleem Ameer). Key political figures in the area are supporting candidates from these groups regardless of party affiliation.
Hassan Ali Qazi, district president of PPP’s Chiniot chapter, has been a member of the Punjab Assembly four times and has fielded likeminded candidates as independents from almost all constituencies.
PML-N’s Maulana Elyas Chinioti, too, has fielded his candidates mostly as independents. A few of the candidates in this group are also supported by PML-N district president Aftab Harl. None of them is contesting on a PML-N’s ticket. Syed Kaleem Ameer, son of former PPP MNA Syed Ameer Hussain, has fielded candidates as independents from almost 60 per cent seats in Chiniot district and City.
PTI district president Mian Shaukat Thaheem says the PTI has fielded candidates from 22 seats in Chiniot City and is supporting candidates for 18 seats on various panels. He says the PTI has fielded candidates for 12 chairmen/vice-chairmen panels in Chiniot district council. He says if elections were held in a transparent manner, the PTI would most definitely win. “There is way too much tension between PML-N leaders in this area…each of them is trying to beat party colleagues. This will cost them dearly.” He says tensions between PML-N’s MNAs and MPAs from the area are the reason why the party has not distributed tickets in the elections.
PML-N district president Mehr Aftab Harl says a large number of PML-N workers had wanted to contest the elections on PML-N tickets. “That is why most chairmen-vice chairmen panels have been open.”
PML-N workers say the main tussle is between Chinioti and Harl. The split, however, has led to further fragmentation of the party leadership in Chiniot. Several candidates, previously fielded by the Maulvi Group, too, have split and formed a PML-N Parliamentarian Group.
PML-N’s MNA Ghulam Bibi Bharwana and MPAs Maulana Rehmatullah and Mehr Saqlain Sipra are all supporting various candidates in their constituencies and are gunning for the chairmanship of Chiniot district council.
In Lalian tehsil, PML-N’s MNA Mehr Ghulam Muhammad Lali and MPA Mehr Imtiaz Ahmad Lali, too, have fielded their candidates.
Former ministers Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat and Syeda Abida Hussain are also backing various candidates here. However, it is unlikely that they will prevail against Lali. In the backdrop of splits within the PML-N and the PPP that the PTI hopes it can cash in.
An interesting development is that the most renowned political family in Rajoa Sadaat, Chiniot, led by former railways minister Syed Muhammad Ali Shah and his son Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Chiniot tehsil nazim in 2001 and 2005, has not been able to put together a strong front in the election.
Political analysts point out that Zulfiqar Ali Shah’s uncle Sardar Tahir Ali Shah was elected an MNA from Chiniot during the Musharraf regime. They would have clinched the district chairmanship had they shown more seriousness about the elections. However, they say candidates fielded by Elyas Chinioti are likely to win seats in Chiniot tehsil’s urban areas. In the 1998 local government elections, Aman Ullah had won the Chiniot tehsil municipal administration nazim seat. In 2001, Haji Naeem Faqri was elected as nazim of the Chiniot TMA.
In 2005, Zulfiqar Shah became tehsil nazim. Qazi Ali Hassan of Chiniot who became an MPA from Chiniot City twice on PPP tickets, has also been naib nazim of Jhang district.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 16th, 2015.
Local government elections will be held in Chiniot for the first time on November 19, since it became a district in 2009. Even though the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz swept the provincial and national assembly elections in 2013, most political parties have not distributed tickets to candidates contesting local government elections this year.
Three major groups endorsing candidates for district councils have emerged: the Qazi Group (headed by Hassan Ali Qazi of the Pakistan Peoples Party), Maulvi Group (under MPA Maulana Elyas Chinioti), and the Syed Group (headed by Syed Kaleem Ameer). Key political figures in the area are supporting candidates from these groups regardless of party affiliation.
Hassan Ali Qazi, district president of PPP’s Chiniot chapter, has been a member of the Punjab Assembly four times and has fielded likeminded candidates as independents from almost all constituencies.
PML-N’s Maulana Elyas Chinioti, too, has fielded his candidates mostly as independents. A few of the candidates in this group are also supported by PML-N district president Aftab Harl. None of them is contesting on a PML-N’s ticket. Syed Kaleem Ameer, son of former PPP MNA Syed Ameer Hussain, has fielded candidates as independents from almost 60 per cent seats in Chiniot district and City.
PTI district president Mian Shaukat Thaheem says the PTI has fielded candidates from 22 seats in Chiniot City and is supporting candidates for 18 seats on various panels. He says the PTI has fielded candidates for 12 chairmen/vice-chairmen panels in Chiniot district council. He says if elections were held in a transparent manner, the PTI would most definitely win. “There is way too much tension between PML-N leaders in this area…each of them is trying to beat party colleagues. This will cost them dearly.” He says tensions between PML-N’s MNAs and MPAs from the area are the reason why the party has not distributed tickets in the elections.
PML-N district president Mehr Aftab Harl says a large number of PML-N workers had wanted to contest the elections on PML-N tickets. “That is why most chairmen-vice chairmen panels have been open.”
PML-N workers say the main tussle is between Chinioti and Harl. The split, however, has led to further fragmentation of the party leadership in Chiniot. Several candidates, previously fielded by the Maulvi Group, too, have split and formed a PML-N Parliamentarian Group.
PML-N’s MNA Ghulam Bibi Bharwana and MPAs Maulana Rehmatullah and Mehr Saqlain Sipra are all supporting various candidates in their constituencies and are gunning for the chairmanship of Chiniot district council.
In Lalian tehsil, PML-N’s MNA Mehr Ghulam Muhammad Lali and MPA Mehr Imtiaz Ahmad Lali, too, have fielded their candidates.
Former ministers Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat and Syeda Abida Hussain are also backing various candidates here. However, it is unlikely that they will prevail against Lali. In the backdrop of splits within the PML-N and the PPP that the PTI hopes it can cash in.
An interesting development is that the most renowned political family in Rajoa Sadaat, Chiniot, led by former railways minister Syed Muhammad Ali Shah and his son Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Chiniot tehsil nazim in 2001 and 2005, has not been able to put together a strong front in the election.
Political analysts point out that Zulfiqar Ali Shah’s uncle Sardar Tahir Ali Shah was elected an MNA from Chiniot during the Musharraf regime. They would have clinched the district chairmanship had they shown more seriousness about the elections. However, they say candidates fielded by Elyas Chinioti are likely to win seats in Chiniot tehsil’s urban areas. In the 1998 local government elections, Aman Ullah had won the Chiniot tehsil municipal administration nazim seat. In 2001, Haji Naeem Faqri was elected as nazim of the Chiniot TMA.
In 2005, Zulfiqar Shah became tehsil nazim. Qazi Ali Hassan of Chiniot who became an MPA from Chiniot City twice on PPP tickets, has also been naib nazim of Jhang district.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 16th, 2015.