JHANG, Nov 20: The new district nazim faces an uphill task of keeping in good humour all his major allies when most of them happen to be staunch opponents having divergent interests in the area’s politics.

District Nazim Sahibzada Sultan Hameed, being the ruling party nominee, was supported by almost all major political groups in the district during his election campaign for the slot.

The list of Sahibzada’s allies includes not only all PML MPAs, but also all those who had lost to them in 2002 general election.

To quote a few examples, from Garh Maha Raja both Najaf Abbas Sial (MPA) and his losing opponent Talib Raza Sial were supporters of the district nazim, while in 18 Hazari provincial constituency, Faisal Hayat Jabbowana (MPA) and his rival Chella Group, led by Azam Chella, were among his supporters.

Similarly, from Shah Jewna, both Ghulam Ahmed Gadi (MPA) and his rival Chiragh Akbar were allies of the district nazim.

From Lalian, MPA Maher Imtiaz Lali and his opponent Ghulam Abbas Nissoana, from Chiniot, MPA Qazi Ali Hassan and his rival Chiniot Group, from Bhowana MPA Saqlain Anwar Sipra and the opposing candidate, Maher Nawaz Bharwana, had supported the nazim in his election.

Meanwhile, from Mochiwala, Sughra Imam and her rival candidate; from Shorkot, Raiz Hushmat Janjua and his losing opponent, had backed the nazim.

Keeping such a divergent line of supporters happy seems to be a difficult task for the district nazim as most of them are eying 2007 election, expecting support from the most powerful office in the district’s politics and administration.

Besides, independent observers of local politics say the real test of Sahibzada’s statesmanship and sagacity will be to deal with the two major political heavy weights of the district— former federal minister Begum Abida Hussain and former Senator and state minister Syed Iftikhar Ali Bukhari.

Both the groups, despite being die hard opponents of each other, had backed the nazim against his arch rival Syed Asad Hayat, the younger brother of Syed Faisal Hayat. Now, both of them expect district nazim’s support for their future candidates for the National Assembly constituency from Shah Jewna in the next general election.