GUJRAT: The PPP stalwart and candidate from NA-65 (Lalamusa-Dinga) Qamar Zaman Kaira has achieved two major breakthroughs by winning back the support of former finance minister Tanveer Ashraf Kaira as well as an influential group in the constituency.

Tanveer Kaira had some serious differences with the Qamar Kaira group since the 2018 elections which aggravated when Tanveer, two-time winner of PP-33 (Lalamusa), was deprived of the party ticket.

The ticket (for PP-31) was rather issued to Nadeem Asghar Kaira, two-time former Kharian tehsil nazim and the first cousin of Qamar Kaira, for the Feb 8 vote. Nadeem has been the lone chairman of a municipal committee elected on PPP ticket across the Punjab during the 2016 local elections.

Tahir Zaman Kaira, Qamar Zaman Kaira and other family elders went to the political secretariat of Tanveer Kaira in Lalamusa to persuade him for the support of Qamar and Nadeem.

Kaira gets crucial support

Tahir Zaman Kaira, a family elder, told Dawn that both the families had resolved their differences after which Tanveer announced support for the PPP candidates from NA-65 and PP-33.

Tanveer Kaira and Qamar Kaira belong to the same Gujjar clan of Kaira village in Lalamusa city suburbs but both are not close relatives.

On the other hand, independent candidate from PP-33 Mujahid Ashraf, his father, a former union council Khawaspur chairman Muhammad Ashraf and Tanveer Ashraf Khawaspur, also a former UC chairman, announced to support the PPP panel in NA- 65. Mujahid also announced to withdraw in favour of Nadeem Asghar Kaira on PA seat.

Sources said that the position of Qamar and Nadeem was improving since the PML-N did not award ticket to former state minister Jaafar Iqbal Fatta Bhand who belonged to the Gujjar clan that had an overwhelming majority among the population of NA-65.

Qamar Kaira lost the last two elections and stood third on the victory stand. He became the adviser to PM in the PDM government and continued to run his election campaign.

The Kulewal group of former PTI MNA Faizul Hassan Shah has been struggling in launching the election campaign after the PTI nominated his nephew Wajahat Shah as a candidate from NA-65 whereas the PML N relied on Naseer Abbas Sidh.

Local analysts expect a three-way fight between the nominees of PPP, PML N and PTI.

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2024