GUJRAT: Former MNA Nawabzada Ghazanfar Ali Gul who ended his three decades long association with the Pakistan People’s Party recently, met former prime minister Nawaz Sharif at a hotel in Jhelum on Friday morning.

Sources said Gul pledged his support to Nawaz Sharif in these testing times and garlanded him. Reciprocating, Mr Sharif garlanded Gul to acknowledge his unconditional support.

In a brief chat at the hotel’s lobby, Gul said that he had struggled on roads for 30 years with the PPP against dictatorships and for the restoration of constitution and democracy and now he had decided to join Mr. Sharif’s struggle for the same cause. They also discussed political matters regarding Gujrat district. Gul later accompanied Nawaz Sharif to Gujrat in PML-N’s GT Road rally.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Gul said he was yet to join the PML-N formally as several important matters were to be discussed and decided with the party regarding politics in Gujrat district. He said he would be meeting Nawaz Sharif in Lahore in near future where his formal joining of the PML-N might take place.

Most of the members of Ghazanfar Gul’s family had already joined the PML-N in September 2012. His elder brother Nawabzada Mazhar Ali Khan and nephew Nawabzada Haider Mehdi won NA and PA seats, respectively, on PML-N tickets in 2013.

Gul however remained with the PPP at that time and left it only around two months ago after he felt marginalized by the party leadership.

Since Mazhar Ali is said to be not in good health, Gul may run for NA-104 (the seat he won back in 1993 as a PPP nominee) in the next general elections from the PML-N platform.

Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2017