KARACHI: After quitting the Pakistan Peoples Party almost four years ago, Nabil Gabol announced on Wednesday that he was rejoining the party — without giving any reasons for his change of heart unlike back in March 2013 when he blamed the party for “neglecting and destroying” his constituency of Lyari which caused him to end his 25 years of association with it.

When he split with the PPP in 2013, Mr Gabol announced amid a lot of media attention that he would be joining its rival political party — the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). However, as he returns to the PPP, the former MNA is keeping a low profile.

This was reasserted in a brief statement issued by him and the Bilawal House spokesman: “Former MQM MNA Sardar Nabil Gabol called on former President Asif Ali Zardari and announced that he would be joining the PPP at Bilawal House this evening. On the occasion, Mr Gabol expressed full confidence in the leadership of Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Asif Ali Zardari.”

Usually a media-friendly politician, Mr Gabol maintained his distance and did not share much on this development which appeared to be predictable due to his harsh anti-PPP stance over the last four years.

His political journey and loyalty, however, have remained shaky between 2013 and 2017 as in February 2015 he resigned as a member of the National Assembly as well as from the MQM claiming that the 2013 general elections — mainly in Karachi — were not free of rigging.

Before quitting the PPP in March 2013, Mr Gabol had been sidelined by the party leadership. After resigning from the MQM in February 2015, rumours were rife that he was planning to join either the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz or Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

In the end, he preferred the PPP which he has previously blamed for corruption and lawlessness in Karachi and bad governance in Sindh.

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2017