CHAKWAL, Jan 16: Sardar Ghulam Abbas, mover and shaker of the district — Nazim during Musharraf’s tenure, former Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) member — latest move to join Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has met a dead end, after leader of the opposition Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan opposed the move.

Important to note that Sardar Ghulam Abbas is considered the “biggest political player” in the district. He started his political career in 1985 under the banner of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) but kept switching loyalties.

He quit PPP in 1997, after developing differences with Benazir Bhutto.

Later, Mr Abbas joined General (retired) Musharraf and was elected district Nazim, after 2001 local bodies’ elections. He ruled the roost unperturbed for eight years.

While Mr Abbas was nazim, he helped elect family members and close friends to posts of tehsil nazims. Throughout Musharraf’s tenure, Mr Abbas also remained a close associate of Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.

Later after Imran Khan’s rally on October 30, 2012, in Lahore, Mr Abbas joined the PTI bandwagon.

On November 26, 2012, in a huge public gathering on the grounds of Islamia High School, he described Imran Khan as a ray of hope and vowed that he would stick to PTI.

PTI made him a member of its executive body.

But only after a year, Mr Abbas took a bizarre turn and announced his intention to join PML-N. According to a local source, Mian Mansha who has a cement industry in Chakwal, played a vital role to bring Mr Abbas in the PML-N fold.

However, the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan strongly opposed Abbas’s joining PML-N. Resultantly the joining which was supposed to surface within hours has now been delayed for an indefinite period.

“New entrants make a party strong but keeping in view the local circumstances PML-N’s leaders and workers cannot accept Sardar Ghulam Abbas”, said General (retired) Abdul Majeed Malik, former PM-N parliamentarian.

Talking to Dawn Sardar Ghulam Abbas’s close friend Pir Shaukat Hussain, who also joined PTI along with Mr Abbas said that he would remain with PTI. “I would stand by PTI and I am trying my best to make the party stronger in the district”, said Pir Shaukat.