LAHORE, May 17: The powerful Leghari family of Dera Ghazi Khan has also turned to the PML-N as Leghari chieftain Jamal Leghari, along with MNA-elect Awais Leghari and MPA-elect Aleem Shah, announced joining the party here on Friday.

So far Khosas had been representing the PML-N in the ‘tribal’ district bordering Balochistan.

After remaining loyal to the PPP for decades, the tribe parted ways with it in 1996 when then president Farooq Leghari dismissed Benazir Bhutto government on corruption charges.

Remaining dormant until the army coup of Gen Pervez Musharraf (retired), the late Farooq Leghari then formed his own party – Millat Party – which was merged into National Alliance before 2002 polls. And in the post-election scene the alliance was unified with the PML-Q.

The family contested the 2008 polls from the platform of the PML-Q but parted with it when the ‘Q’ joined the ruling PPP in 2011. The Legharis then saw their future in the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf of Imran Khan. However, they contested the May 11 elections as independents when the PTI denied them party tickets.

The election results forced the Legharis who have been abhorring of joining the ‘N’ in the presence of Khosas to change their policy and embrace the party unconditionally.

The Khosas have been resisting against accepting their political rivals into the PML-N folds but their influence within the party already stands diminished with the revolt of earlier by ex-governor Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa’s son, Dost Muhammad, and later by Saifuddin against the Sharifs. Dost tried to reconcile with the Sharifs before the elections but Saif went on to join the PPP and contest election from its platform.

With the emergence of three power centres -- Legharis, Khosas and Jamiat Ahle Hadith in the form of MNA-elect Hafiz Abdul Karim -- the DG Khan district will be witnessing an interesting situation where the administration will be under pressure to whom to follow and whom to refuse in local administrative decision-making.

MUZAFFARGARH: Independent MNA-elect from Muzaffargarh Jamshed Dasti met PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif on Friday and joined the party unconditionally. Dasti was elected from NA-177 and 178. Initially, he said he would join the PML-N if his certain conditions were met. But local PML-N MPs-elect opposed his joining the party.

On Friday, Dasti met Nawaz Sharif and announced joining the party.

Another MPA-elect from Muzaffargarh, Qaswar Langrial said the party had included Dasti without accepting his conditions and now the PML-N would field its own candidate from the seat vacated by Dasti.