June 01, 2008	Sunday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 26, 1429

MUZAFFARGARH, May 31: After the PPP has nominated Dr Zakaullah for bypolls on PP-258 seat, who is the brother of MNA Moazzam Jatoi, others in line for getting PPP tickets have decided to contest as independents instead of withdrawing in favour of the party candidate.

The rejected candidates say they have left the party and will make every effort for the defeat of the PPP candidate even if they have to lose the seat.

PML-Q candidate Haroon Bukhari, who had contested the last elections as an independent, says he is sure to win the seat this time because of differences in PPP ranks.

PPP MNA Qayyum Jatoi, who was elected from two seats, NA-180 and PP-258, has decided to keep the MNA seat.

Of the 28 candidates who filed their nomination papers for the PP-258 seat vacated by Qayyum Jatoi, 18 among them were PPP aspirants.

Mr Jatoi is said to have given assurance to all the 18 candidates of the PPP that he will give his ticket to them in case he wins both seats.

These PPP candidates included Syed Abid Husain Shamsi, Khan Muhammad Khan Jatoi, Aziz Khulang and Akhtar Gopang.

They had vigorously run the election campaign of Mr Jatoi, but he has awarded the ticket to his cousin Dr Zakaullah Khan.

Abid Shamsi alleged he had resigned as city nazim of Shehr Sultan only because Mr Qayyum Jatoi had promised to award him the PPP ticket.

He said since Mr Jatoi had broken his words he would contest the by-polls as an independent candidate against the Jatoi group.

Aziz Khulang said that Mr Jatoi had disappointed him with his decision to keep all the seats within his family. He said he would fight for the seat in protest.

Akhtar Gopang said that he had quit the nazim seat in a hope to get the PPP ticket for PP-258 seat, but it was awarded to the Jatoi family. He claimed that PPP MNAs Moazzam Jatoi, Qayyum Jatoi, Jamshed Dasti, MPAs Irshad Sial and Bilal Khar had declared him the PPP candidate.

Qayyum Jatoi was unavailable for comments as the PPP district information secretary said that he had gone to Islamabad to attend a party meeting.

Sources said the disappointed PPP candidates were weighing options to either join the PML-N or the Bukhari group. The PML-N has not fielded any candidate so far.