SIALKOT, March 15: Everything is possible in politics, says Armughan Subhani, a former provincial minister and scion of Variyo family, whereas sources say that the family is eyeing fetching a PML-N or PPP ticket for PP-124 bye-elections for their entry into this district’s political arena afresh after it was routed in the Feb 18 elections.
The family’s three members contested on PML-Q tickets and PML-N’s Zahid Hamid defeated Abdul Sattar Variyo at NA-114 while Khush Akhtar Subhani, Sattar Variyo’s nephew, and Armughan Subhani, Sattar Variyo’s son, were defeated by Tahir Hundali of the PPP and Munwar Gill of the PML-N at PP-125 and PP-127, respectively.
PML-N’s Rana Abdul Sattar, who is the son of former MPA Rana Shamim, returned to the National Assembly from NA-112 after defeating PML-Q President Ch Shujaat Hussain with a margin of around 50,000 votes. Rana Sattar also returned to the Punjab Assembly from PP-124 but now he has decided to vacate the provincial slot, leading to holding of a bye-election at this constituency.
Sources told Dawn that the Variyo family’s elders, including former provincial minister Akhtar Ali and his son Khush Akhtar, have recently met Rana Shamim to convey their aspirations to PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif to allow them return to the PML-N camp and allot them a ticket to reinvent their political survival. The Variyo family has candid relations with Rana Shamim for last several years and the Variyos are trying to utilise this relationship to stay in political battlefield at any cost.
On the other hand, according to sources, the Variyos have also rekindled their political ties with PPP top leadership for getting a party ticket in case they failed to get the PML-N’s. Akhtar and Sattar Variyo remained very close to Ch Hamid Nasir Chattha after ditching Nawaz Sharif and under Chattha’s leadership they developed cordial acquaintance with Benzir Bhutto in the mid 1990s.
Sources said that the Variyos would join either the PPP or preferably the PML-N to bag a ticket, which would be a ‘lifeline’ for the routed political family.
When contacted, Armughan Subhani neither confirmed nor denied the reports and said that everything was possible in politics.
