HYDERABAD: Pakistan People’s Party is set to cause yet another dent to the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional as Jam Madad Ali, an MPA from Sanghar district — the erstwhile stronghold of the PML-F — has confirmed his decision to join the PPP.

He is to make a formal announcement to this effect on Thursday (Dec 22), a day after Mohammad Ali Shah Jamote — until recently a PML-F stalwart — is to join the PPP. To accord a ceremonial welcome to Mr Jamote to the PPP fold, MNA Faryal Talpur and Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, along with Nisar Ahmed Khuhro and other senior PPP leaders are to visit his residence in Matiari on Dec 21.

In a by-election held in Sanghar district in 2013, the PPP had dealt a severe blow to the PML-F when Shazia Marri won one of three directly contested seats.

Jam Madad Ali is the maternal nephew of late Jam Sadiq Ali — a PPP old guard and close confidante of its founder chairman, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. However, Jam Madad Ali has a long association with the PML-F.

While explaining the reasons behind his decision to part his company with the PML-F, he was quoted by his close associates as telling them: “We have been badly neglected in terms of development of our constituencies. Future belongs to the PPP, so it doesn’t look good to keep toiling and make electorates toil as well.”

Besides Nisar Khuhro, Sohail Anwar Siyal and Zia Lanjar, young Sardar Usman Almani, the elder son of late Alam Baloch being Jam Madad’s brother-in-law, is instrumental in prevailing upon his wife’s brother to review his political stakes the way he himself did. He set a precedent first by hugging his otherwise arch rivals, Zardaris, who now head the PPP.

Usman Almani’s father and former federal irrigation secretary irrigation, Alam Baloch, alongwith his gunman, Imdad, was gunned down in Hyderabad on Sept 18, 1997 over a dispute involving 501 acres of farmland in Tando Allahyar. The murder case was lodged against Asif Ali Zardari, his father, Hakim Ali Zardari, Ansari brothers (Asif Zardari’s close associates) and some other Zardaris with the Qasimabad police.

Almani in 2012 first settled his issues with Zardaris. Then Faryal Talpur visited his village in Tharushah (Naushahro Feroze district) — where he joined the PPP.

“Yes my family withdrew the claim over farmland [of Tando Allahyar] and joined the PPP unconditionally. We just decided to bury the hatchet. So I don’t want to comment on it further,” said Usman while speaking to Dawn. Insiders say Usman Almani is aspiring for NA-212 or PS-20 in the next general elections. His younger brother is the chairman of Tharushah town committee.

While confirming his decision to join the PPP, Jam Madad gave the date for making a formal announcement as Dec 22. “Faryal Talpur will visit our village to formalise my joining of the PPP in the presence of the Sanghar PPP leadership. Earlier, I had one-on-one meeting with her. I feel that since he is being respected and cared, there is no point in refusing it [the invitation],” Jam Madad told Dawn over phone.

Jam Madad had entered politics in 1993 when he won a provincial assembly seat from Sanghar — the Jams’ ancestral abode. Before that, he had been with his maternal uncle, Jam Sadiq Ali, then caretaker chief minister of Sindh. He was again elected the PML-F MPA in 2002, 2008 and 2013. He had a bumpy ride in the 2013 election when the election tribunal declared his rival, Asghar Junejo, son of Mohammad Khan Junejo, as the winner of his present seat, PS-81. He challenged it before the apex court which set aside the tribunal’s judgement.

Jams generally have not maintained a sound political working relationship with the influential Junejos of Sanghar. Jam Madad says the problems that have kept the two tribes at a distance are political in nature.

With the support of Jatois, Mahars and others, Jam Madad led the opposition benches in the Sindh Assembly during 2008 while, interestingly, the PML-F had been sharing the treasury benches with the PPP, setting a new precedent of being part of opposition and government at the same time.

After Imtiaz Sheikh’s departure, PML-F would lose its second MPA in Sindh Assembly and get its strength in the house reduced to six in terms of the directly contested seats it had won in the 2013 polls. Currently, the party has 10 seats in the house including the reserved ones.

“Jam Madad will resign from his PS-81 seat and contest for it on a PPP ticket. He will again stand a candidate for the same seat in the 2018 elections,” says his family. A member of his family says that Jam Madad had in the past also been advised by them [family] to switch loyalties and join the PPP.

According to him, contacts with the PPP were maintained in 2012 but discontinued in 2013. They were revived again last year and finally led to the decision that is to be announced on Dec 22.

“You see there is no space for [political] growth for him in PML-F,” he observed.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2016