GUJRAT: PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has chosen Mandi Bahauddin district for his first major political activity in any part of central Punjab ahead of the general election as he is due in the town on Monday (tomorrow) in connection with the party’s membership drive.

Mandi Bahauddin district has once been the stronghold of the PPP in Gujranwala region. Of late, the party has suffered a blow in the form of defections.

Dewan Shamim Akhtar, the PPP president of Gujranwala division, told Dawn that the party chairman would visit two membership camps in Bhagat and Gojra areas and also address a public gathering.

Gojra is the native town of former federal minister Nazar Muhammad Gondal who, along with other members of his family, had joined the PTI. However, the PPP has managed to win the support of Mr Gondal’s cousin Faisal Shahzad Gondal who will host the party’s camp in Gojra that is located close to Nazar Gondal’s house.

Bhagat is the native village of PPP’s ex-MPA Asif Basheer Bhagat who had contested as a party candidate in NA-108 in 2015 by-election against former PPP MNA Tariq Tarrar who was then a candidate of the PTI.

Mr Shamim added that the party had achieved some major breakthroughs as Qamar Bosal, a former PTI ticket-holder in NA-109 against Nazar Gondal in 2013, had joined the PPP. Two former independent candidates Nawaz Tarrar (NA-108) and Nasir Tarrar (PP-119 Malakwal) had also joined the PPP.

He said the local party workers had been making efforts to revive the party position in the district and that’s why the leadership had chosen his district for Bilawal’s mass contact drive.

The PPP chairman would visit Lahore on May 6 followed by his visits to membership camps in Sargodha and Faisalabad divisions.

Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2018