BAHAWALPUR, Oct 7: Contrary to the past tradition, differences between the Jat and Arain clans have cropped up over the choice of candidates on one national and two provincial assembly seats in Yazman tehsil.

In NA-187, the Jat biradari have two rival candidates — Aitzaz Ahsan (PPP) and Khalid Mahmood Jajja (PML-N). Parties of both the candidates did not even talk over the seat adjustment formula of the ARD. The Arain biradari has also two rival candidates — Azhar Mahmood (PML-QA) and Muhammad Ijazul Haq (PML-Z) while Shehzad Irfan Malik is the Pakistan Seraiki Party (PSP) candidate.

Aitzaz has the backing of a strong group of district Nazim Tariq Cheema. Mr Cheema commands respect among Jat elders as this area has been his constituency where he undertook a number of uplift projects in the past. Aitzaz’s Jat rival Khalid Jajja, the son of ex-MNA Mumtaz Ahmed Jajja, had developed differences with Tariq Cheema and joined the PML-N.

Mumtaz Jajja, an influential figure in the area, fielded his son on his seat due to his disqualification for graduation condition. Though there is a split in the Jat biradari, still it is expected that Tariq Cheema’s candidate Aitzaz Ahsan will be able to muster support.

Cracks also appeared in the Arain biradari who is divided over the nomination of Mian Azhar Mahmood (PML-QA) and Ijazul Haq (PML-Z). Mian Azhar is the son-in-law of Arain leader and district PML-QA president Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal alias Shair-i-Yazman. As long as Ijazul Haq has been in the PML-QA fold, he was warmly welcomed in Bahawalpur by Chaudhry Iqbal and his men. But after he parted ways with the PML-QA, the majority of Arain biradari has shifted its loyalty to Chaudhry Iqbal.

The strong group of another Arain leader Chaudhry Abdul Jabbar is also unable to support Ijazul Haq as he is now supporting Tariq Cheema’s candidate, Aitzaz Ahsan.

In PP-275 and 276, most of the candidates of main political parties like PML-QA, PML-N and PPP are from the Arain biradari. In PP-275, four out of eight candidates are from the Arain biradari. They are Chaudhry Shoaib Karim (PPP), Chaudhry Ghulam Muhammad Azeem (PML-QA), Chaudhry Iqbal (PML-N) and Dr Muhammad Anwarul Haq (PML-Z). Khalid Jajja is the only Jat candidate who is reportedly negotiating with another Arain candidate Chaudhry Saood Majeed in PP-276 as Khalid is also contesting on NA-187. The whole Arain biradari has been divided into four rival candidates of the same biradari.

In PP-276, two out of five candidates are Arain. They are: Chaudhry Saood Majeed (PML-J) and Dr Muhammad Afzal (PPP) while the third main rival candidate Mrs Rozina Jamil Akhtar Sinddhu is from the Jat biradari. Her husband Jamil Akhtar was disqualified due to graduation condition. Rozina is the sister of ex-MPA Rauf Khalid of Haroonabad, now facing corruption charges.

The Arain votes will be divided among all three Arain rival candidates while Rozina Jamil might be able to exploit the situation.