MULTAN, Aug 18: District Nazim Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi sent his resignation to the Punjab governor on Sunday.

Sources close to Mr Qureshi told Dawn that he had stated in his resignation that he wanted to contest the forthcoming general elections.

Shah Mahmood is the first Nazim in the country who gave up the top district slot in the wake of October elections. At present, he holds the office of the central deputy secretary general of the Pakistan People’s Party.

A former federal minister, Mr Qureshi assumed charge of the district Nazim on Aug 14, 2001. During the early days of his short stint in the office, he championed the cause of devolution plan and remained busy in efforts to make the new system of local bodies workable in his district.

He also tried to forge an alliance of Nazimeen belonging to the 13 districts of south Punjab to improve the lot of the people of this backward area.

The present government also promoted him as a ‘model’ district Nazim by giving him opportunities to deliver lectures at the Civil Services Academy in Lahore and the National Defence College in Quetta. But the ‘romance’ came to an end with the announcement of the presidential referendum of April 30 last.

Shah Mahmood was the first district Nazim who parted ways with the government on the issue of support to Gen Musharraf in the referendum which later proved to be a controversial venture of the military rulers.

Since then, he had become a persona non grata in the power corridors. He had been conspicuous for his absence in the ceremonies and meetings presided over here by the Punjab governor after the presidential referendum.

In the beginning of his differences with the military government, he had alleged that the provincial home secretary was meddling in the district government affairs and debarring him to receive dignitaries in Multan as the head of the district government.

Later, he started criticizing the provincial authorities for not allowing the district governments to work independently and openly expressed skepticism over the success of the district government system. The Punjab governor had also met Mr Qureshi at the Governor’s House but despite apparent good gestures from both sides, the ‘differences’ could not be resolved.

Shah Mahmood is expected to contest on PPP ticket from NA-148 comprising areas of Makhdoom Rasheed, Budhla Sanat, Qadirpur Raan and Tateypur and PP-201 (Qadirpur Raan).

He had previously held the portfolios of provincial minister in the PML-N government and state minister during the PPP regime.