BAHAWALPUR, Aug 19: The conspicuous absence of three ruling party MNAs and four MPAs belonging to Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan districts from President Musharraf’s meeting here has exposed dissent within the PML ranks in south Punjab.

The absent MNAs included Makhdum Ahmed Alam Anwar (RYK), Akhtar Kanju (Lodhran) and Makhdum Ali Hassan Gilani and Farooque Azam Malik (Bahawalpur), while the MPAs were Punjab Fisheries Minister Darya Khan, Raees Muhammed Iqbal and Qazi Saeed Ahmed, all from Rahim Yar Khan district.

Dawn has learnt that Makhdum Anwar and Farooq Malik, both former ministers of Pakistan Peoples’ Party, were, reportedly, in contact with the Chairperson Benazir Bhutto seeking tickets for the upcoming election.

Mr Gilani, who is also a federal parliamentary secretary, reportedly absented himself from the meeting due to his differences with District Nazim Tariq Cheema. Gilani had also been the member of PML forward block along with Mian Riaz Hussain Peerzada, who was now with Chaudhrys of Gujrat after his reported meeting in Lahore with Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi last month.

Another MPA, Raees Muhammed Iqbal, was reportedly absent from the meeting on health grounds.

Darya Khan and Qazi Saeed Ahmed were said to be standing with PML (Functional) Punjab Chief Makhdum Ahmed Mahmood. However, another supporter of Ahmed Mahmood, a former provincial minister, Muhammad Hashim Gulecha, was present at the meeting.

PML District President Syed Irfan Gardezi was not available for comments.

MNA Akhtar Kanju was quoted by a news website that he was against Musharraf’s re-election in uniform. That was why, he said, he did not attend Sunday’s meeting in Bahawalpur.

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