GUJRAT: The PML-Q and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf by forging an electoral alliance in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s Legislative Assembly’s constituency LA-34, Jammu-V, are testing each other as partners for a joint course of action they may take in future.

Senior PML Q leader and former federal minister Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain said this at a meeting of local party cadres held here in connection with the AJK polls.

Later, Mr Hussain hosted an Iftar reception to kick off the election campaign of Chaudhary Muhammad Afzal Malhi, originally a PML-Q man contesting July 21 poll in LA-34 on PTI ticket, after both parties agreed to field a joint candidate.

He said since PML-Q was not registered in the AJK, the PTI awarded ticket to their joint nominee Mr Malhi “who has been my close aide”. So the local party workers should shun all their differences to achieve victory in the coming polls which would strengthen the party, he said in response to criticism from within the party on Mr Malhi seeking a PTI’s ticket.

Mr Hussain said decisions had to be taken according to the changing situation in politics. He added that PML-Q candidates had got elected as independents in the previous two AJK elections (in 2006 and 2011) but now the both parties (PML Q and the PTI) had forged an electoral alliance keeping in view the changing political scenario as the parties were testing each other in these polls as future partners.

He said that he was very thankful to the PTI leadership for awarding ticket to his close aide and now PML-Q supporters should work hard to gain success.

He also criticised former AJK minister Chaudhary Akbar Ibrahim, without mentioning his name, saying the ex-minister got elected twice with PML-Q support in the last two elections from LA-34 and became minister but changed his loyalties by joining the PML-N a few months ago.

However, he said, the PML-N also refused him (Mr Ibrahim) the ticket this time and now he was contesting as an independent aspirant.

On the other hand, the PML-N MNA Nawabzada Mazhar Ali Khan and Nawabzada Tahirul Mulk, traditional rivals of the Chaudharys in local politics, have launched the election campaign of PML-N nominee Haji Javed Akhtar, also a former AJK minister.

The campaign was kicked off at a meeting held at Tanda the other day where the party’s elected UC chairmen, vice-chairmen and councillors vowed to support Mr Akbar.

Though LA-34 voters are mostly Kashmiri immigrants settled in the districts of Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin and Wazirabad Tehsil of Gujranwala district, but a considerable number also resided at Tanda, Karianwala and Jalalpur Jattan areas falling in the National Assembly constituency NA-104 that always played a decisive role in the election for the seat. That is why any candidate contesting for the seat has to either seek the support of Chaudhrys of PML-Q or the Nawabzada family of PML-N, who are influential in these areas.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2016