September 15, 2002	Sunday	Rajab 7, 1423

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MULTAN, Sept 14: People’s Party chairperson Benazir Bhutto has reportedly directed the Punjab leadership of her party to not to concede any constituency in Dera Ghazi Khan district in the name of ‘seat adjustment with the PML-N.’

A reliable party source told Dawn that Ms Bhutto had directed Punjab PPP president Qasim Zia, central deputy secretary-general Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi and her close aide Ms Naheed Khan to not to leave the ground in Dera at the mercy of Punjab PML-N president and Khosa tribe chief Zulfiqar Khan.

Earlier, there was a strong impression that the Khosa tribe chief had been ‘authorized’ by the Punjab PPP leadership to field candidates of his own choice on the three National and seven provincial assembly seats in the district, perhaps, to give tough time to former president and Millat Party chief Farooq Leghari in his hometown.

But, instead of striking any meaningful adjustment with the PPP, the Khosa Sardar made an alliance with the Leghari Sardar’s cousin Maqsood, who had no political affiliation and is contesting elections as an independent candidate on his personal and Leghari clan votes in the Punjab seat PP-246 (formerly PP-202).

As a result of the Khosa-Maqsood alliance, the Khosa Sardar’s strategy against Farooq Leghari is to support Maqsood’s candidate and be contended to retain his clan’s superiority on one NA and two PA seats from Dera Ghazi Khan district.

Maqsood had been a former federal and provincial minister. He returned from PP-202 as an IJI candidate in 1988 as the then PPP stalwart Farooq Leghari had favoured him by fielding a non-entity, Malik Ameer, as the PPP candidate against him. In the following three general elections, he returned as an independent candidate from the same provincial assembly constituency.

Analysts said Maqsood had a kind of love-hate relationship with his cousin and tribal chief Farooq. In his personal gatherings, he had been rather outrageous against his chief but whenever the latter demanded sacrifice from him, he always did so. In 1989, when Farooq Leghari could not capitalize on the PPP strength in the Punjab Assembly to become chief minister, he sent a team to ailing Maqsood in Lahore’s Sheikh Zayed Hospital to announce his resignation in protest against the then chief minister Nawaz Sharif as provincial irrigation minister. Maqsood did the needful.

Maqsood had contested election against Farooq’s son Jamal for the district Nazim claiming that “now there is no chance of reconciliation with the chief.” But, in the run-off polls which were contested by Jamal and Saifuddin Khosa, the son of Punjab PML-N president, Maqsood was seen sitting in Jamal’s camp.

For the coming election, he could not qualify due to the graduation condition. However, he has pitched his son Muhammad Khan against Farooq in NA-172 and another son Husain Khan against Farooq’s son Awais in NA-173. The Khosa-Maqsood alliance is backing Muhammad and Husain which means nothing but a smooth sailing for Farooq Leghari and his son.

The PPP source quoted Ms Bhutto to have said to the party’s Punjab leadership that she was anticipating what he (Sardar Khosa) had done in Dera.