TOBA TEK SINGH, Jan 16: Seeing no future in the ruling party, a leading political-cum-industrialist family is ready to switch sides, keeping in view the next year general elections.

One of the members of the family, Chaudhry Muhammad Ashfaq, elected MPA and MNA from the PPP ticket in the past, was elected as district nazim in 2001 local elections with the ruling party backing. Soon after his takeover, he joined the PML.

In last general elections, his elder brother Mian Muhammad Latif fielded his son Mian Farhan Latif who won the Toba NA seat as PML nominee. During the last year local elections, Ashfaq was refused ruling party support by Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi, reportedly due to his (Ashfaq’s) relations with PPP leader and former federal information minister Khalid Ahmad Kharal.

Ashfaq’s differences with Punjab Forest Minister Dr Ashfaqur Rehman also forced his (Rehman’s) cousin Tariq Aziz, National Security Council secretary, to oppose Ashfaq for the ruling party ticket for the district nazim slot.

Ashfaq initially revolted and filed nomination papers against party candidate Chaudry Abdul Sattar (now district nazim) but later when he was pressed by the government through the DCO, he withdrew his nomination but did not support Sattar. Instead, he supported PPP’s Begum Neelum Jabbar who got 422 votes.

The family, however, succeeded in getting ruling party ticket for Ashfaq’s younger brother Mian Javed Iqbal who won tehsil nazim slot. But later the district nazim complained to the higher authorities about the family’s ‘dual’ role in local politics.

Now the family believes that for the 2007 general elections, Ashfaq or his nephew will not be able to get PML tickets. That’s why it is now planning to join PML-N.

In December, the wedding ceremony of Saeed Ahmad Saeedi (defeated district naib nazim candidate of Ashfaq group) was attended by various PML-N leaders, including two former NWPF chief ministers Pir Sabir Ali Shah and Mahtab Abbassi, former forest minister Raja Ashfaq Sarwar, PML-N secretary-general Zafar Iqbal Jhagra and finance secretary Sher Azam on the invitation of Ashfaq.

A source disclosed that Chaudhry Ashfaq would be the future PML-N nominee for the Toba NA seat. Later, PML-N leader and former federal minister Ch Asadur Rehman threw a party for various area politicians which was also attended by Ashfaq, his brother Mian Latif, nephew MNA Mian Farhan Latif and younger brother, Toba tehsil nazim Mian Javed Iqbal.

Another source close to district nazim Ch Sattar disclosed that Sattar’s son Mian Farrukh Sattar might be the ruling party candidate for the Toba NA seat and after assessing PML politics, Ashfaq family saw no future in ruling party. — by Tariq Saeed