TAXILA: In the recently-held election in July, former MPA Umer Farooq had contested the polls as an independent candidate with the symbol of jeep under Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.

In less than three months, the winds of change have blown Mr Farooq’s nephew, Barrister Aqeel Malik, into the fold of the PML-N, who managed to get a ticket from the party for the by-election in NA-63.

Barrister Malik’s posters, banners and billboards, seen across the constituency, have images of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, ex-Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and himself, but not of Chaudhry Nisar. It is for the first time in the political and election history of the constituency that the former ruling party candidates are not displaying pictures of their local leader, Chaudhry Nisar.

Kohistan House, the political bastion of the PML-N in the area, remained under the patronage of Chaudhry Nisar for decades.

Umer Farooq and his wife Zille Huma also remained members of the Punjab Assembly under the political patronage of Chaudhry Nisar.

The PML-N had awarded ticket for the National Assembly seat in the July 25 elections to PML-N Rawalpindi district president Sardar Mumtaz Khan who failed to make an impressive show due to his differences with Chaudhry Nisar over the ticket.

After the elections, as Chaudhry Nisar distanced himself from the by-polls, Mr Farooq bridged the gulf between his group and the PML-N leadership and succeeded in getting the party ticket for his nephew, Barrister Aqeel Malik.

Mr Farooq also managed to bring leader of the opposition in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz to Taxila to address a public gathering in connection with the by-poll.

“Chaudhry Nisar is out of the country and is not participating in the by-poll politics, which is why he (Barrister Aqeel Malik) has not used his pictures in the posters,” Umer Farooq said.

On the other hand, PTI has fielded Mansoor Hayat Khan, son of Petroleum Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan, for the by-election.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2018