SIALKOT, Sept 18: The group which bagged the highest number of seats in the district is still searching for its future role in local politics. Deprived of any support from the ruling party, the Variyos have not been given any slot in the district and tehsil nazim elections although its panels won in 62 union councils.

Those interested in politics question the entire local election exercise where people cannot even select the representatives of their liking despite casting votes.

The Variyo family’s Chaudhry Armughan Subhani, who is the provincial power minister, and MPA Chaudhry Khush Akhtar Subhani are still silent and not in the limelight.

No candidate of the Variyo family has submitted nomination papers for any seat.

There have been reports that the Variyos and former district nazim Mian Naeem Javed’s camp may strike a deal with the opposition in reaction to the treatment being meted out to them by the PML leadership.

The Variyos, it is understood, cannot afford such a venture because of the pending cases of alleged corruption against them with the National Accountability Bureau. In such a scenario their only option will be to support the PML-backed nominees. Meanwhile, almost all federal and provincial ministers, MNAs and MPAs of the ruling PML have joined the election campaign of the PML-backed candidates for district and tehsil nazim slots.

The elected representatives supporting the opposition, particularly the PML-N and the PPP, were equally active.

These parliamentarians have established camps at their outhouses for electioneering where lavish parties are being thrown.

The opposition parties have alleged that the district police and, in fact, the entire government machinery has been put at the ruling party disposal. They have urged the Chief Election Commissioner to take a serious notice of the official protocol being given to the PML-nominated candidates in the district.

In Sialkot city, Punjab Industries Minister Muhammad Ajmal Cheema is busy in running the campaign of his younger brother Muhammad Akmal Cheema, a leading exporter who has been selected by the PML for the Sialkot district nazim slot.

National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Ameer Husain is making every possible effort to convince voters in favour of his candidates.

Also on the fore are State Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Ali Asjad Malhi and local MPA Chaudhry Mumtaz Ali, who are canvassing for PML’s Ejaz Ahmad Cheema for Daska tehsil nazim slot.

As for the opposition, PML-N MNA Khwaja Muhammad Asif and MPA Engineer Imran Ashraf are involved in electioneering for Sarfraz Ahmad for Sialkot tehsil nazim while PPP’s MPA Tahir Akhtar Awan for PPP candidate Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas for district nazim slot.

In Sambrial tehsil, Punjab Public Accounts Committee chairman Azeem Noori Ghuman, an MPA, is fully supporting his younger brother Nasir Mehmood Ghuman.

State Minister for Defence Zahid Hamid and Punjab Minister for Labour and Human Resources Syed Akhtar Hussain Rizvi figure in Pasrur tehsil election scene as moving spirits behind Muhammad Akmal Cheema’s campaign for district nazim slot and Maqsood Ahmad Sulehria’s for tehsil nazim.