December 24, 2007	Monday	Zilhaj 13, 1428

In Muzaffargarh, the electoral business has been confined to a few families — Khars, Gurmanis, Dastis, Nawabs, Qureshis and Jatois — for many decades. These families play as rival to each other in elections and except the Nawabs, usually grab tickets from mainstream parties – the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the PML-Q.

This time, however, candidates from one group are challenging each other regardless of blood relations. In this regard, NA-178 is a case in particular wherein the heirs to `champion of political unity’ Nawabazada Nasrullah Khan are contesting against each other. Pakistan Democratic Party President Nawabzada Mansoor Khan is fighting against his brother Nawabzada Iftikhar Ahmed Khan, a PML-Q candidate.

A visit to this constituency revealed that Mansoor is fully cashing in on the repute of his late father, while his brother Nawab Iftikhar seems to be on back foot for his affiliation with his current leaders Shujaat Husain and Pervaiz Elahi. Iftikhar reportedly tries to convince his voters saying the next government will be formed by the PML-Q, so its candidates alone can bring any good to the constituents. Mr Mansoor, however, preaches the philosophies of the late Nawabzada and comes hard on his brother, who according to him, sold cheaply the name of their father. However, Iftikhar and other family members avoid talking against Mansoor.

Besides that of the Nawabs, another in-family rift has become a political brawl in NA-177 where Hina Rabbani Khar is a PPP candidate while her brother Khaliq Khar, alias Munnu Khar, is in the field with a PML-N ticket for PP-255 that falls under NA-177. Here Rabbani Khar, who is campaigning for Hina, is openly opposing Munnu Khar and calls him a `disobedient chap’. He alleges his brother Malik Ghulam Mustafa Khar instigated his son to damage his political standing. But Munnu has his own stories to share with the public. He claims he is being victimised by his stepmother, the second wife of Mr Rabbani Khar.

In PP-254, the Dasti family also seems to have succumbed to political selfishness. Abdul Hai Dasti, the nephew of MPA Sardar Amjad Hameed Dasti, challenges his aunt Tehmeena Dasti who has been nominated by Sardar Amjad Dasti. From this constituency, Amjad Dasti has remained undefeated since 1985. During all the previous polls, Abdul Hai Dasti had been electioneering for Amjad Dasti. Now when Amjad Dasti is too old to brave the pains of the electioneering, he fielded his daughter Tehmeena while Abdul Hai himself was expecting to be nominated. Ms Tehmeena is the wife of the Senate secretary and lives most of the time in Islamabad.

In yet another political showdown, the Qureshis of Kotaddu are challenging each other. In NA-176, PPP candidate Mohsin Qureshi is a close relative of PML-N’s candidate Amjad Abbas Qureshi. In the last elections, the wife of Mohsin Qureshi, Khalida Qureshi, defeated her rival Qasim Hinjra by a thumping margin with the support of Amjad Qureshi’s family. Now both families are at daggers drawn and the rivals are sure to take benefit of the rift.

If in-house rifts are news, a few families have grabbed all tickets just for themselves. From NA-176, PMLQ’s Qasim Hinjra and his real brother Ahmed Yar Hinjra, also a PML-Q candidate from PP-251, are in. From NA-178, Nawabzada Mansoor is a candidate while his son Nawabzada Mohammad Ahmed Khan is fighting for PP-257. In NA-177 Khalid Gurmani is a PML-Q ticket-holder while his brother Tariq Gurmani is the party’s choice from PP-252. In NA-179, elder brother Haroon Bukhari is a PML-Q candidate while the younger, Basit, is a candidate from PP-258. PPP’s candidate from NA-180 Qayyum Jatoi chose only his brother-in-law for PPP’s ticket from NA-179.