SIALKOT, Aug 9: The ruling PML’s two groups led by Azeem Noori Ghumman and Mian Naeem Javaid are in a neck and neck fight in the district’s newly-created Sambrial tehsil which has 17 union councils.

Claiming the ruling party support, both the groups are confident about their victory in the August 18 polls.

According to independent observers, the two are busy in a monopolistic-styled politics in the area. One also says this because other political parties, including the PML-N, the PPP and the MMA, have failed to back candidates who could possibly pose a challenge for them.

The Azeem Noori Group is headed by Umer Ahmed Ghumman, who is chairman of the Punjab Public Accounts Committee, and MPA Azeem Noori Ghuman. Former district nazim Mian Naeem Javaid heads the other group.

Given the existing political scenario of the tehsil, Azeem Noori’s group appears on sound footing. Besides Sambrial, this group is in a position to play a role at the district level

Azeem Noori is also the younger brother of Director-General, Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment, Brig Aslam Ghumman (retired).

Political observers say the Azeem Noori group is in a strong position due to the its past performance in the area. They say that Ghumman could bag a big number of votes since he was instrumental in getting tehsil status for Sambrial.

Talking to Dawn, the PAC chairman Azeem Noori said that he had opened new vistas of socio-economic development by initiating several projects, including the Sialkot airport and dualization of the 26km Sialkot-Sambrial-Wazirabad road. He claimed that his group had a clear edge over all others in Sambrial.

He claimed credit for what he called the changed fate of the once most-neglected and ignored people of Sambrial as a result of record development projects undertaken during the last four years.

On the other hand, former Sialkot district Nazim Mian Naeem Javaid told Dawn that his panel would make a clean sweep in Sambrial tehsil for similar reasons. He also cited the record development works which he said were carried out by the Sialkot district government. He said that his panel would end years of long political domination of the Ghumman group.

Meanwhile, the local leadership of the PML-N, the PPP and the MMA has alleged that the State Minister for Privatization and Investment Umer Ahmad Ghuman and the PCA chairman Azeem Noori Ghumman were misusing their offices by openly campaigning for their group’s candidates in Sambrial, and by harassing the candidates backed by their opponents.

The PPP leadership further alleged that the PAC chairman was misusing government funds, and that the government machinery was busy in electioneering for the Ghuman group candidates. This, they said, violated the election code of conduct and rules.

On another note, the biradari factor has also gripped local politics in Sambrial, as all political parties have fielded their candidates that have support in their respective biradari. Of these there are the Araeen, Mughal, Jatt and Ghumman biradaris.