CHAKWAL: Politics in Talagang witnessed a dramatic turn on Sunday as Sardar Mumtaz Khan Tamman, a former member of National Assembly (MNA) of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) along with his group announced support for the candidates of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

Mr Tamman announced his decision after holding a meeting with Sumaira Elahi, sister-in-law of PTI’s incarcerated president Chaudhry Pervez Elahi.

Sumaira Elahi arrived at the residence of Mr Tamman on Sunday noon and after holding talks with him, the latter announced his unconditional support for PTI candidates.

Mr Tamman was elected MNA three times. In 1993, he was elected as MNA under the banner of Pakistan People’s Party while in the by-election of 2010 and in the general elections of 2013 he was elected as MNA on PML-N’s ticket. His close relative, the legendary Air Marshal Nur Khan, was the first man in the family who was elected as MNA in 1985.

For the upcoming general elections, Mr Tamman due to his old age fielded his maternal grandson Sardar Shahroz Khan Tamman who was among the aspirants of PML N’s ticket from NA-59. But instead of awarding tickets to Shahroz Khan and Sardar Mansoor Hayat Tamman (who also remained MNA of PML-N three times), the PML-N took a risk by awarding the ticket to Sardar Ghulam Abbas who sought a ticket for NA-58 (Chakwal), not for NA-59 (Talagang).

Shahroz Tamman, who earlier announced to contest elections as an independent candidate, has now withdrawn from the electoral battle in favour of PTI’s candidates.

PTI also got the support of Sardar Faiz Tamman, another two times MNA and maternal nephew of Sardar Mumtaz Tamman), a few days ago.

Talagang got a number of uplift projects from 2002 to 2008 and also from 2018 to 2022 due to Chaudhry Pervez Elahi who remained chief minister and speaker of Punjab Assembly in this period. These projects put Hafiz Ammar Yasir, a close friend of Mr Elahi’s son Rasikh Elahi, in the limelight of Talagang’s politics which was erstwhile dominated by the local feudal lords.

Belonging to the middle class, it was Hafiz Ammar Yasir who acted as lieutenant of Mr Elahi in the area and the latter approved many uplift schemes for Talagang. Mr Yasir was also elected MPA in 2018 and made provincial minister for mines and minerals.

The greatest achievement of Mr Yasir was to get tehsil Talagang upgraded to the status of district with the support of Mr Elahi in the last government of PTI. Mr Yasir believes that politicians of Chakwal particularly Raja Yasir Humayun Sarfraz, a former provincial minister in the last PTI govt, and Sardar Ghulam Abbas created hurdles in the upgradation of Talagang to district level as they refused to surrender some areas of Chakwal in favour of Talagang.

He is now considered as “the founder of Talagang district” and playing the district card effectively.

Mr Yasir was also supposed to contest the current elections from PP-23 but his nomination papers were rejected. Currently, he is in Saudi Arabia after cases were registered against him in the wake of the May 9 violence.

Mr Yasir has fielded his brother-in-law Malik Roman Ahmed at NA-59 against PML-N’s Sardar Ghulam Abbas after the nomination papers of Chaudhry Pervez Elahi were rejected. Mr Elahi won this constituency in the last general elections by a huge margin of fifty thousand votes. Due to the provision of the status of district and carrying out a number of uplift projects, Mr Elahi and Mr Yasir have harnessed a large vote bank in the area.

The “district card” has forced Mumtaz Tamman to stand with PTI’s candidates instead of Sardar Ghulam Abbas.

A few days ago, his maternal nephew Sardar Faiz Tamman, a two-time former MNA, had also announced his support for PTI candidates.

“I have decided to support PTI candidates for the sake of Talagang district as I always did politics for the betterment of the people of my area”, Mumtaz Tamman said while talking to Dawn.

Speaking at the occasion, Sumaira Elahi hailed the decision of Mr Tamman.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2024

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