LOWER DIR: Though tight-lipped about his future plan, former provincial minister Advocate Muzafar Said is likely to join the newly-formed Pakistan Tahreek-i-Insaf Parliamentarian (PTI-P) of former chief ministers Pervez Khattak and Mahmood Khan.

The speculations got diverse comments from the readers when the former provincial minister shared a post along with a photograph of meeting Mahmood Khan on his Facebook page here on Sunday.

According to sources privy to the development, former chief minister Mahmood Khan visited the residence of Muzafar Said in Talash on Sunday and finalised issues related to the development. The former minister shared details of his meeting with Mahmood Khan but did not hint at joining PTI-P.

Later, Mahmood Khan also shared a post from his own social media page that Muzafar Said had joined his party.

A leader of Jamaat-i-Islami, Muzafar Said had joined Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on November 16, 2020 after his defeat in the

2018 general elections during which some influential figures of JI opposed him.

He was made provincial minister for finance when JI chief quit his portfolio in the Pervez Khattak government. He was elected MPA in 2002 on JI ticket. JI again awarded him ticket for the 2008 general elections but later the party boycotted polls.

Muzafar Said was also elected MPA in 2013 and remained finance minister for four years. In 2018, he was defeated by PTI candidate Shafiullah after which he wanted the party to take disciplinary action against the JI activists, who had opposed him and had not vote for him.

The former minister joined PPP in 2020 with the hope that he would be awarded party ticket for PK-15 Lower Dir but his hopes vanished a few days ago when reports circulated through social media that he had been denied party ticket.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2023