BAHAWALPUR, Aug 29: The Bahawalpur Ittehad headed by MNA Syed Tasneem Nawaz Gardezi organized a gathering of 72 union council nazims and naib nazims to show its strength during a press conference at the Gardezi House on Monday.

Former district nazim Tariq Cheema, who is running for the slot for the second term as a PML-supported candidate, conducted the roll call of all the 72 nazims and naib nazims before reporters.

The gathering was addressed by Syed Tasneem Nawaz Gardezi, Tariq Cheema and Bahawalpur Ittehad secretary and central PML media coordinator Syed Tabish Alwari.

In their speeches, they said that after winning the district nazim slot, uplift works would be carried out in all areas without any discrimination.

They expressed the hope that more UC nazims would join the Bahawalpur Ittehad during the next few days. They informed the gathering that among the 72 nazims, one belonged to the PML-N, one to the Sadiq Dost group of Nawab Salahuddin Abbasi and three independents.

PML MPA from Hasilpur Ahmed Nawaz Chaudhry, who belonged to the Sadiq Dost group, also announced his decision to join the Bahawalpur Ittehad along with his brother, the UC nazim from Hasilpur tehsil. He said that he took the decision on the desire of Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi.

Federal parliamentary secretary and MNA from Ahmedpur tehsil Malik Aamir Yar Warren, his brother and adviser to the chief minister Malik Khalid Warren, another adviser to CM Makhdoom Iftikhar Gilani, MPA Ahmed Nawaz Chaudhry, former MPAs Syed Shehab Owaisi and Chaudhry Safdar Husain were also present there to prove their loyalty to the Bahawalpur Ittehad.

Earlier addressing a joint Press conference, Syed Tasneem Nawaz Gardezi and Tariq Cheema claimed the tehsil-wise majority of UC nazims with Bahawalpur City TMA’s 13 out of the total 21 UCs, Bahawalpur Sadar TMA’s 10 out of 15, Yazman tehsil’s (stronghold of Tariq Cheema) 10 out of 18, Ahmedpur East tehsil’s 19 out of 31, Hasilpur tehsil’s 13 out of 14 and Khairpur Tamewali’s seven out of eight.

They denied rigging even in Khairpur Tamewali and Ahmedpur East tehsils and tampering of election results by polling staff as had been alleged by the rival Sadiq Dost Group leaders.

They said that opponents should accept their defeat and verdict of the people. They said that they had also accepted their defeat in Yazman tehsil.