SAHIWAL, April 20: The PML-N has awarded party tickets to three Jutt brothers of Chichawatni for three constituencies of the area.

According to details, the eldest, Chaudhry Tufail Jutt has been given a ticket for NA-162, Chaudhry Muhammad Hanif Jutt for PP-226 and the youngest Chaudhry Muhammad Arshad Jutt for PP-225.

Their paternal cousin Munir Azhar succeeded in getting a PML-N ticket for NA-163 (Sahiwal IV).

The father Chaudhry Wali Jutt, a resident of village 50/12-L, owns 10 acres of agricultural land and works at the Kasowal Cotton Factory as a contractor (munshi). The factory was owned by Rai Ali Nawaz Khan, the head of the Rai Group. Reportedly, it was the Rais who trained Wali Jutt and his sons in politics as the Jutts remained loyal to the Rais during all political campaigns.

Wali’s son Tufail contested for a councillor’s position from the Rai Group’s side. He also contested the 1997 elections on a PPP ticket for PP-184, bagging 7,515 votes and taking the third position. He also became tehsil nazim in 2002.

His youngest brother Arshad got a PPP ticket for PP-225 in 2002 and won the elections by securing 35,198 votes, defeating Chaudhry Munir Azhar.

After his victory, both the brothers went on to support former president Gen Musharraf retired and left the PPP the same year to join the PML-Q. This too was with the help of the Rai family.

In 2008, Arshad defected from the PML-Q to the PML-N and got a party ticket for PP-225. He won the elections by securing 36,398 votes. From 2008 onwards, he remained loyal to the Sharif brothers, due to which he succeeded in getting a ticket for his elder brother Hanif for PP-226 in the October 2012 by-elections.

Hanif defeated Mrs Iqbal Langriyal, giving the PML-N its second victory from Chichawatni. Chaudhry Zahid Iqbal had won from NA-162.

This time, Tufail also managed to get a ticket for NA-162 as the party’s previous candidate Zahid Iqbal was embroiled in a dual nationality case.