GUJRAT: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) had to face a setback in its campaign for by-polls to NA-63, Jhelum, when former MNA Raja Muhammad Afzal on Thursday announced support for PML-N nominee Nawabzada Matloob Mehdi. At a news conference in Jhelum, the former MNA who had been a long-standing ally of the late Nawabzada Iqbal Mehdi, ex-MNA, in local politics of Jhelum, said he had decided to support Nawabzada Matloob to pay a tribute to the services of the late Nawabzada.

Mr Afzal had been a close aide of Mian Nawaz Sharif for at least three decades and got elected as MNA four times and senator once, whereas his two scions Raja Asad and Raja Safdar became MNA from the PML-N platform in 2008.

He got annoyed with the party leaders for not awarding him the ticket for the by-polls to a Punjab Assembly seat in December 2012 and lost to Khadim Gurmala.

Later, Raja Afzal joined the PPP along with his both MNA sons just two months ahead of the 2013 general elections and contested on PPP ticket from both National Assembly seats of Jhelum but lost and then joined the PTI around one year ago.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2016