FAISALABAD: The two parliamentarians -- MNA Dr Nisar Jutt and MPA Raza Nasrullah Ghuman -- who have recently joined the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf after ditching the ruling PML-N, are notorious for shifting their political loyalties.

Both of them had also announced their resignations over the issue of Khatam-i-Nabuwat (finality of the Holy Prophet PBHU). Dr Nisar had announced his resignation at a Khatam-i-Nabuwat conference convened by Pir Hameedud Din Sialvi held at the Dhobi Ghat ground a couple of months ago, while Mr Ghuman had announced quitting the assembly through a handout.

Dr Nisar of Dhandra, Jhang Road, had won his maiden election for the National Assembly seat (NA-81) in 2002 and secured 58,855 votes on the Pakistan People’s Party ticket and defeated Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PMLQ) candidate Chaudhary Talib Hussain who got 51,125 votes. Shahbaz Kissana, the PML-N candidate, could secure only 9,974 votes.

Now both Dr Nisar and Mr Kissana are in the PTI.

After the 2002 elections, Dr Nisar had joined the PPP-Patriot.

In 2008 elections, Dr Nisar bade farewell to the PPP and joined the PML-Q. He contested from NA-81 and was defeated by Saeed Iqbal of the PPP who secured 65,322 votes against his (Dr Nisar’s) 55,646.

Nisar Akbar Khan of the PML-N had stood third with 23,305 votes. Now Nisar Akbar is also in the PTI.

Dr Nisar had again joined the PML-N in the last general elections held in 2013. He contested from the NA-81 and won the seat with 122,059 votes, while the PPP candidate Saeed Iqbal was the first runner up with 40,199 votes. Jehanzeb Imtiaz Gill of the PTI had bagged 28,637 votes.

For the upcoming election, the PTI will have to choose between Dr Nisar and Mr Gill who had also been with the PPP and contested from PP-64 in 2002 on the party’s ticket.

Similarly, Raza Nasrullah Ghumman had contested the 2002 general elections on the PPP ticket for NA-80 and got 40,264 votes. PML-N Asif Touseef was the winner with 43,547 votes and Sardar Dildar Ahmed Cheema of PML-Q bagged 41,947 votes. Now all the three are in the PTI.

Ghumman also served as the district naib nazim in the Pervez Musharraf government.

The PML-N had fielded Ghumman in PP-62 during last general elections and he won the seat obtaining 31,742 votes. Rai Ahsan Raza of the PML-Q was the runner up with 20,440 votes.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2018