MUZAFFARGARH: In yet another incident of embarrassing a politician turning up in his constituency to seek votes, a youngster on Monday evening heckled Sardar Ashiq Khan Gopang during a speech at a corner meeting in Alipur tehsil.

The young student took on Mr Gopang with pointed questions such as “where were you in the last five years”.

The incident came a few days after groups of young people in Dera Ghazi Khan and Multan aggressively questioned Sardar Jamal Khan Leghari, a tribal chief, and Sardar Sikandar Hayat Bosan about their “prolonged absence from respective constituencies” and performance.

In Alipur’s area called Seetpur, about 140 kilometres away from the city, Sardar Ashiq Gopang’s son Amir Talal Gopang is contesting NA-186 on a PTI ticket. Ashiq Gopang was a close associate of Nawaz Sharif who awarded district chairman’s slot to Umer Gopang (a nephew of Ashiq).

A young student came close to the stage where Mr Gopang was speaking and first snatched the microphone from him and then asked him where he had been in the last five years and why he had come now. The youngster also spoke to the audience for a while amid clapping and sloganeering.

Mr Gopang turned a bit nervous and looked up to the elders who intervened and placated the student by saying that Mr Gopang would pledge it on oath that he would appear every month.

“I swear I will attend monthly meetings with the public here,” said the veteran politician while admitting that his absence was a “blunder”.

This was the third such incident in the last few days and now the politicians seem cautious. It has been observed that Jamshed Ahmad Dasti, Sardar Qayyum Khan Jatoi and Basit Sultan Bukhari are feeling hesitation appearing before the public.

Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2018