GUJRAT, March 30: Chaudhry Ahmed Saeed, a senior leader of the PML-N, on Saturday kicked off party’s election campaign in Gujrat at a reception hosted by local party leader Javed Butt.

The reception was arranged in connection with reconciliation between Mr Butt and Haji Nasir Mahmood, district secretary-general of the PML-N. Considered as key leaders of the party in Gujrat, the two had been at loggerheads for over a year.

Ahmed Saeed prevailed on them to settle their dispute as the party leadership had also been upset over a rift among its local ranks. He brought Haji Nasir to the residence of Javed Butt where a good number of local businessmen as well as party workers were present.

Speaking to the participants, Ahmed Saeed said he had started party’s election campaign in Gujrat with a resolve to continue opposing the Chaudhrys of the PML-Q as he had been doing so since 1970.

He said he had shown a good gesture towards his younger brother, Ahmed Mukhtar, of the PPP by announcing that he (Saeed) would not contest from NA-105 in case of Mukhtar’s contesting the elections but expected the same gesture (from his brother).

“If I contest the elections, Mukhtar must honour me by not contesting against me,” Saeed said. He said though the PML-N had not yet announced its candidate for NA-105, it would never support a PPP nominee on this seat whether it was his brother, Ahmed Mukhtar. The remarks made by Ahmed Saeed, who had already filed his nomination papers for NA-105 and was being persuaded by the party leadership to run for the seat, indicated chances of Saeed’s contesting the election.

Well-placed sources say in case Saeed decides to contest election, the rest of the family members of the Servis group may persuade Mukhtar not to contest against his elder brother. (The two brothers have not been on speaking terms for the last several years).

Saeed, who spent two days in his hometown, received a warm welcome from local political, social and business circles as a good number of people from all walks of life met him in the Servis rest house and asked him to contest election from Gujrat.

It is learnt that Saeed is seriously weighing the option of going into the elections and his two-day stay in the town was actually aimed at evaluating the ground realities in Gujrat.

On the other hand, Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar has also been in the town for the last four days and is holding meetings with his local supporters at his political office. According to sources in the PPP, Mukhtar is not getting a good response from local social as well as business circles regarding his election campaign whereas a good number of local PPP workers are still angry with him.