RAWALPINDI: The contest for the office of chairman of Kohati Bazaar union council in the city on December 5 promises to be an interesting fight, to say the least. For it is a story relatively easy to narrate but difficult to understand.

That the ruling PML-N nominee Mirza Mansoor Baig and his independent rival Bilal Javed both vow allegiance to the mighty PML-N looks odd but not abnormal. What makes the challenge delightful and difficult to understand are events that provoked it.

Bilal Javed is the nephew of ex-MNA of PML-N from Rawalpindi, Haji Pervaiz Khan. It so happens that the uncle became ex-MNA in 2009 after his nephew was caught sitting the intermediate exam for him.

In the by-election held following his deseating was won by Malik Shakil Awan, launching him in national politics. But he also became an ex-MNA in the 2013 general election.

Haji Pervaiz Khan sprung back to local politics and is currently general secretary of the Rawalpindi PML-N. So, at least one can understand the images of Mian Nawaz Sharif and Mian Shahbaz Sharif, the party’s top leaders, decorating the nephew’s campaign posters.

Haji Pervaiz Khan dissociates himself from nephew Bilal Javed’s campaign, though. “I am an official of the party and am supporting the party’s candidate in my home union council,” he told Dawn.

A senior leader of PML-N told Dawn that Haji Pervaiz Khan wanted the party ticket for his nephew but it was awarded to Mirza Mansoor Baig. “Otherwise, party members had wanted the tickets to go to workers who had been toiling for the PML-N for 30 years,” he said.

According to him, the worried leadership formed a committee to pacify the disgruntled aspirants but the efforts failed in many union councils, like the Kohati Bazaar UC-33.

In the NA-55 constituency alone 22 rival panels of PML-N emerged in nine union councils – two each in UC-2 Ratta Amral, UC-3 Hazara Colony, UC-10 Khyaban-e-Sir Syed, UC-11 Khyaban-e-Sir Syed-2, UC-33 Kohati Bazaar and three each in UC-34 Banni Chowk, UC-37 Dhoke Dalal, UC-39 Chittian Hattian and UC-40 Bohar Bazaar.

Haji Pervaiz Khan explained that the splits occurred “because the party delayed issuing the tickets.

“If it had decided the tickets before the last date of withdrawal of nominations, many old workers would have been accommodated.”

City party leader and former MNA Hanif Abbasi, however, took pride that “for the first time, the Rawalpindi PML-N decided the party nominations unanimously. People will vote for our candidates.”

Instead of fighting under the party flag and pictures of its leaders, he wanted the disgruntled to support the party’s chosen candidates.

Former MNA Malik Shakil Awan said efforts to convince the disgruntled elements to take that course were continuing. “We are trying for Haji Pervaiz Khan persuade his nephew Bilal Javed to stand down in favour of Mirza Mansoor Baig who has sacrificed much for the party,” he told Dawn.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2015