JHANG, Sept 29: All is set to witness a tough fight between two bigwigs and arch rivals — Begum Abida Hussain (PML-QA) and Faisal Saleh Hayat (PPP) in NA-88.
The NA-88 is a new constituency and lies on the western bank of river Chenab stretching between Langar Makhdoom in the north and the Trimu Headworks in the south over an area of 130 kms in length.
The main biradaris inhabiting the constituency are the Lalis, the Balochs, the Bhatti Nissowanas, the Gilotars, the Syeds, the Sials, the Qureshis, the Khokhars and the Sangras.
Besides Abida Hussain and Faisal Hayat, Qaisar A. Sheikh is the other candidate. Mr Sheikh had filed his nomination papers in the hope that papers of Faisal might be rejected. Therefore, a one-to-one contest is in the offing between the two arch rivals.
This national assembly constituency has two provincial assembly segments — PP-80 and PP-81. Both the candidates have been elected MNA from the southern half of the constituency, presently PP-81, which is situated in Jhang tehsil.
Abida Hussain won the elections in 1985 and 1997 while Faisal Hayat in 1988, 1990 and 1993. The northern half of the constituency (PP-80) falls in Chiniot tehsil. It comprises Chenab Nagar, Lalian, Kandiwal and Barana police stations.
Abida Hussain enjoys the support of Ghulam Muhammad Lali, who is a provincial assembly candidate on the PML-QA ticket. His only opponent Imtiaz Ahmad Lali, an independent, is supporting Faisal Hayat. His support has raised the chances of Faisal in this area who is also being supported by ex-MNA Syed Amir Hussain Shah. Mr Shah has been elected MNA twice in 1988 and 1990 from this area and commands great influence in Kandiwala and Lalian police station areas.
Amir Hussain’s younger brother Raza Shah, who lost the 1997 NA elections to Qaisar A. Sheikh on a PML ticket, is backing Abida Hussain. He is likely to cause some damage to his elder brother’s vote bank.
Col Pervaiz Sultan Bhatti (retired) is a powerful figure in the Barana area. He is the son of former district council vice-chairman late Mumtaz Nissowana and is supporting Faisal Saleh Hayat. The PPP has also a large vote bank in Lalian town.
Abida Hussain has the support of ex-MPA Ghulam Abbas Nissowana, an extremely popular figure in Kandiwal and Chenab Nagar areas. She is also being supported by Amjad Lali of Wala and the Syeds of Thatti Bala Raja. Besides, the group of Ghulam Muhammad Lali, the PML-QA candidate for PP-80, is also supporting her.
Abida Hussain herself enjoys some personal influence in the area due to her two terms as the Jhang district council chairperson. There is a neck-and-neck fight in this segment of the constituency.
The second provincial assembly seat in this NA constituency is PP-81 which comprises areas falling under the jurisdiction of Qadirpur and Massan police stations. Shah Jewna village is also situated in this segment.
Muhammad Ali Shah, son of ex-MPA Ghazanfar Abbas Shah of Ratta Matta, is contesting on a PPP ticket from here and is supporting Faisal. His maternal uncle, Syed Chiragh Akbar, is pitted against him on the PML-QA ticket.
A two time MPA in 1993 and 1997 from this constituency, Ghulam Ahmad Gadi, is the third candidate in the fray. Gadi contesting as an independent is an extremely popular figure and has a very large vote bank. He was mainly instrumental in Abida’s success over Faisal in the 1997 elections.
This time, he too, was a candidates for the PML-QA ticket, but Abida used her influence and deprived him of the ticket. Mr Gadi has now turned hostile towards her and is going all out to see her defeat. Gadi’s defection to Faisal is proving extremely crucial and decisive in this segment where contest is rapidly turning into a one-sided affair in favour of Faisal. Abida is making frantic efforts to regain the lost ground. Although ex-MNA Syed Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari has recently joined in her election campaign, even this may not be enough to salvage her position. The wrong choice of the provincial assembly candidate is proving fatal for Abida.