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| August 21, 2005 | Sunday | Rajab 15, 1426 |
PML warring groups ‘too good’ for rivals
SARGODHA, Aug 20: The PML’s Cheema group is so far leading in Sargodha district elections but its rival group, also of the ruling party, will not easily beat a retreat, reports emerging here reveals.
While the PML’s Mela group is struggling to reach the district nazim’s slot and so is Mian Manazir Ali Ranjha’s outfit. The latter’s candidate will have to be content with nazimship of Kotmomin tehsil.
Overall, the ruling PML has so far got the lion’s share in the results declared so far while the opposition could show its strength only in the urban areas of Sargodha and Bhalwal tehsils.
According to the latest situation, the PML groups have won 100-odd seats, the PPP 25 (though the Piracha group claims 23 only by his group), the PML-N 16 and the Jamaat-i-Islami, a component of MMA, has chipped in with just four positions.
In Khushab, Awan Alliance chief Malik Naeem Awan, a former federal minister, has once again succeeded in getting a clear-cut majority. His political successor, Malik Umer Aslam Awan, took the revenge of his defeat from Federal Minister of State for Tourism Ms Sumera Malik.
This time old political rivals Malik Naeem Khan and Malik Bashir Awan united under the banner of the Awan alliance and their panels reportedly returned in 28 union councils thanks to hectic efforts made by ex-MNA Malik Umer Aslam Awan and former district naib nazim Malik Shakir Bashir Awan.
They did not allow even seasoned politicians like Malik Khuda Bakhsh Tiwana and dynamic Ms Sumera Malik to show their strength.
Though Ms Malik herself lost to her old rival, her nominee Malik Nazeer defeated Pervez Awan, brother-in-law of Malik Bashir Awan, who had a glorious track record in the previous elections. Malik Bashir is heading a component group of the Awan alliance. It was a major upset in Khushab.
Political observers say this might be the reaction of voters.
Though in the 41 union councils two independent candidates have been elected, they have reportedly joined the Awan Alliance which now seems to be in a good position to clinch the coveted seats of Sargodha district nazim and Khushab tehsil nazim.
MNA Chaudhry Anwar Ali Cheema group has swept the polls in rural areas of Sargodha tehsil’s southern zone while in Sillanwali, his group under the supervision of his brother-in-law Farrukh Javed Ghuman has registered a convincing majority in 10 union councils with the claim that the one victorious independent candidate here will also favour them. The Kalyar Group has won five seats.
The PML groups have bagged all 14 seats — Kalyar and Mazhar Qureshi alliance and Lehri-Anwar Cheema Alliance capturing seven each in Sahiwal tehsil.
In other major upsets, PML heavyweights, including former Sargodha tehsil nazim Dr Liaquat Ali Khan has failed to retain his seat in his native union council seat where he claimed to have spent over Rs40 million on development. His nominees, including his brother-in-law, have been defeated by the MMA men.
Similarly, ex-nazim Sheikh Munir Ahmad could not retain his seat and Mian Irshad Ahmad, a brother of PML leader Mian Anwar Khursheed, were defeated by PPP-backed candidates.
In UC 145-6, a multimillionaire PPP-backed candidate has defeated veteran politician Rana Liaquat Ali of the ruling party. Rana Liaquat, a former deputy mayor of municipal corporation, had a good track record.
PIRACHA GROUP: The Piracha group is the single largest group in Bhalwal by clinching 19 seats out of 32 and the second largest in the district, claimed MNA Inamul Haq Piracha.
Speaking to journalists at his office on Saturday, he claimed that the group was currently in a commanding position by winning 23 UC nazim seats in the district.
Besides, over a dozen nazims and naib nazims-elect had assured them of their support for the coveted slots of district nazim and Bhalwal tehsil nazim, he claimed.
Yet another claim the MNA made was that four naib nazims-elect of Bhalwal tehsil would join the Piracha group soon and their name would be made public within few days.
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