January 10, 2008	Thursday	Zilhaj 30, 1428

OKARA, Jan 9: Former Punjab chief minister Pervaiz Elahi is to address a public gathering in Deepalpur on Thursday (today), the home ground of PML-Q’s rival candidate and former chief minister Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo, who is contesting elections as an independent candidate in NA-146.

Mian Manzoor Wattoo, who is a senior vice-president of PML-Q, has returned the party ticket and decided to contest the elections as an independent candidate on one PA and two NA seats in Okara district.

The PML-Q has to field Rao Muhammad Ajmal Khan while PML-N candidate is Mian Muhammad Sharif Zafar and the PPP is banking on Syed Abbas Raza Rizvi.

Supporters of Mian Manzoor Wattoo alleged that the district government had directed schoolteachers, patwaris and other government employees to ensure their participation in the public gathering of Pervaiz Elahi.

They further claimed that the district government staff was busy displaying election banners and posters at the public gathering site on the directions of the high-ups.

Talking to Dawn by phone, Mian Manzoor Wattoo demanded that the government should immediately transfer all officials who had been posted in the district for the last three years because in their presence the slogan of holding free, fair and transparent elections could not be achieved.

A powerful politician in the Okara district, Mr Wattoo was elected the district council chairman in 1983 and MPA in 1985. Later, he kept on winning the general election of 1988, 1990 and 1993. In 1995, he became the Punjab chief minister and formed his local “Tamir-i-Watan” group.

The other strong and his rival “Shah Muqeem” group is led by former provincial minister Syed Afzaal Ali Shah Gillani and his son, Syed Raza Ali Gillani, also former provincial minister. District nazim Syed Asad Ali Shah Gillani is also a nephew of Syed Afzaal Ali Shah Gillani.

Mr Wattoo has preferred to defend his own group against the rival group and returned the PML-Q tickets.

Since the Chaudhrys of Gujrat have a close association with the Shah Muqeem group, they have awarded PML-Q ticket to former provincial minister Syed Raza Ali Gillani against Mian Manzoor Wattoo in NA-147.

Initially, Mr Wattoo had decided to contest elections also on PP-188, but he changed his mind and fielded his daughter and former MNA Robina Shaheen Wattoo against PML-Q candidate Mian Fayyaz Wattoo.

Mr Wattoo is also contesting elections for PP-187 seat, the stronghold of the Shah Muqeem group. The Gillanis have been winning the MPA seat since 1985, but Mr Wattoo has now tried to challenge their supremacy.