BAHAWALPUR, Sept 2: The historic Sadiqgarh Palace of late Bahawalpur Amir Sir Sadiq Muhammad Khan Abbasi (fifth), is all set to hold the first-ever political function of newly-elected union council nazims, naib nazims, councillors, including minorities and women, on Saturday night (today) after about 40 years.

Palace gates will be thrown open by Nawab Salahuddin Abbasi, the legal heir of the late Bahawalpur Nawab. As the function will be organized at the Mubarak Manzil adjacent to the Sadiqgarh Palace, the magnificent old building will remain closed for the gathering.

It was during the late Ayub Khan regime that an investiture ceremony to decorate the late Nawab Bahawalpur with a medal was held at the decorated ‘Darbar Hall’ of the palace.

The late president Ayub Khan after troublesome railway journey from Rawalpindi to Dera Nawab Sahib by Khyber Mail had reached the destination for an overnight stay at the palace. The late Nawab had himself welcomed the late president at the Dera Nawab Sahib railway station. This investiture ceremony was attended by selected VVIPs.

After decorating the late Nawab with the medal, the late president drove to the Bahawalpur stadium to address his members of the basic democracy.

Following the sad demise of the late Nawab in 1967, his crown prince Brig Muhammad Abbas Abbasi became his successor. He had also been the Punjab governor during the regime of the late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

But no political function could ever be organized at the palace which became the bone of contention among legal heirs of the late Nawab and, as such, it was sealed.

Although, the palace was desealed in 2004 and its old furniture and other articles were distributed among 23 legal heirs and their descendants, the priceless and rare antiques had mysteriously disappeared from there during its sealing period.

Meanwhile, invitees of the Sadiq Dost group could not be allowed to enter the palace building, which has no electricity now.

Nawab Salahuddin Abbasi has arranged the function to show the strength of his Sadiq Dost group, which enjoys the support of three MNAs — Farooq Azam Malik, Mian Riaz Husain Peerzada and Makhdum Syed Ali Gilani, MPAs — Sahibzada Muzamil Rashid Abbasi and Latif Aaqil, and former MPAs — Sahibzada Usman Abbasi and Sardar Abdullah Khan Dahir. Organizers have claimed the attendance of a majority of newly-elected men of 107 union councils in the district.