GUJRAT, March 10: As the byelection day arrives, a tough fight is expected among the four candidates of the ruling PML for the slots of Khohar UC nazim and naib nazim in Sarai Alamgir.
The elections to the two slots had been postponed in August last owing to deteriorating law and order situation.
Raja Nadeem Nawaz, the son of former district council Raja Nawaz, was elected the first nazim from this union council in March 2001. It is the native UC of former PML-N MPA Malik Hanif Awan. The Raja family has close relations with Awan.
Raja Nadeem and his family were subjected to severe victimisation by some hidden hands for not changing loyalties. Raja claimed that some 38 fake cases were instituted against him and other family members during the last four years. He had filed his nomination papers for the slot of nazim from the PML-N platform in August 2005 local elections. The Sarai Alamgir police had registered an abduction case against Raja Nadeem, his father Raja Nawaz and other family members on Aug 8.
Former MPA and PML-N district president Malik Hanif Awan described it as a baseless and fake case and said the then Kharian DSP Imtiaz Bhali was involved in victimising the PML-N candidate.
Complainant Babar of Fatehpur alleged in the FIR that his brother Shabbir went missing on Aug 3. He was quoted as saying in the FIR that he first conducted self-investigation about the disappearance of his brother. He made a firm belief that Raja Nadeem Nawaz, his father Raja Nawaz, his brother Raja Naeem Nawaz, cousin Prince, Saifur Rehman and another accused had abducted his brother. The Sarai Alamgir police had picked up Raja Nawaz, Naeem and Saif and kept them in the lock-up of Kharian Cantonment police station. Raids were being conducted by police for the arrest of Raja Nadeem.
Mr Awan told Dawn over telephone that Sarai Alamgir police had registered a case against his party workers at the behest of DSP Imtiaz Bhali. He had alleged at that time that Bhali had been victimising Raja Nadeem to change his loyalties and join the ruling PML. After his refusal, the police had involved Raja and other family members in the fabricated case. He termed it a worst kind of pre-poll rigging. This time Raja Nadeem succumbed to the pressure and joined the ruling PML.
Mr Awan also agreed to change his loyalties only to get the ruling party ticket for the slot of Sarai Alamgir tehsil nazim, sources said. But the Chaudhrys gave the ticket to former tehsil nazim Chaudhry Abdur Rahman who defeated Awan in the election. Raja Nadeem Nawaz and Malik Bashir Ahmad have filed their nominations for the slot of nazim and naib nazim, respectively. The rival candidates are Haji Iqbal Awan and Raja Mazhar Iftikhar Zimawaria. Both the groups are claiming that they are the ruling party candidates and enjoy the support of the Chaudhrys.
On the other hand, the PML bigwigs from Gujrat claim that they are not interfering in the local polls. District Nazim Chaudhry Shafaat Husain had requested both the groups to respect the party discipline and ban wall- chalking and use of loudspeakers in the election.
Raja Nadeem told Dawn that some of the politicians were involved in party discipline and rival candidates defying the orders of the district nazim. He said PML district secretary-general Chaudhry Tufail had addressed a meeting being organised by his rival candidates. He alleged that tehsil nazim Chaudhry Abdur Rahman and MPA Chaudhry Arshad were openly supporting the rival candidates. He said Chaudhry Tufail, Abdur Rahman and Chaudhry Arshad should abide by the party discipline.
He further alleged that rival candidates were also involved in wall-chalking and use of loud speakers. He said some outlaws opened aerial firing outside his meeting place the other day. He filed an application with the police only to see a counter application lodged by the tehsil nazim, he alleged.
Answering a question, he said he did not succumb to political pressure and joined the ruling PML in the public interest. He said a superior court had recently quashed all the FIRs lodged against him and other family members. The rival candidates Haji Iqbal Awan and Raja Mazhar were not available in their election office. However this correspondent had a chat with a party worker who, requesting anonymity, said Raja Nadeem was an opportunist who wanted to get the vote bank of the ruling PML.
He said the PML-N vote bank was already into his pocket due to his good relations with Malik Hanif Awan. Political pundits said Raja Nadeem stood the better chance of winning.
VIOLATION: A survey revealed that both the groups are violating the election code of conduct. Sources said the Raja Nadeem had kept a budget of over Rs50 million as election expenditure while Malik Iqbal group had kept the budget over Rs 15 million.
TENSION: It is also revealed that tension prevails in the constituency and any serious law and order situation on polling day cannot be ruled out.