PML-N MPA’s disqualification triggers political activity
Ex-MNA Nazir Ahmad Jatt changes loyalty for third time in 16-year political
career; gets PTI ticket for daughter
From Nadeem Mushtaq Ramay
BUREWALA: The disqualification of PML-N MPA Chaudhry Muhammad Yousaf Kaseliya from PP-232 and announcement of by-election have triggered political activity in the constituency.
Seeing the changing political scenario, former MNA Chaudhry Nazir Ahmad Jatt has announced joining the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf in a meeting with Imran Khan in Islamabad some days ago. He also succeeded to get a party ticket for his daughter Ayesha Nazir Jatt for PP-232 by-poll. It is the third political party which Nazir Jatt has joined during his 16-year politics. The Saudi Arabia-based businessman, Nazir Jatt, came into active politics during Musharraf regime in 2000 when he contested the district nazim election against Khan Muhammad Mumtaz Khan Khichi and lost with a margin of 52 votes. He continued his political career and participated in the 2002 general elections. He surprised political pundits when he managed two political giants of the area - Syed Shahid Mehdi Naseem and Qurban Ali Chohan – and they started canvassing for him. Consequently, Nazir Jatt won the elections on PML-Q ticket by defeating PPP former provincial minister Chaudhry Mehmood Akhtar Ghumman. In the 2008 general elections, Nazir Ahmad Jatt of the PML-Q won the MNA slot by defeating independent candidate Syed Sajid Mehdi and PPP’s Mehmood Akhtar Ghumman.
In 2010, Nazir Jatt was disqualified by the Supreme Court in a bogus degree case and was banned to take part in politics. After his disqualification, a by-election was announced in the constituency and he joined the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and got a party ticket for his nephew Asghar Ali Jatt, who won the by-elections by defeating Syed Shahid Mehdi of the PML-N and independent candidate Chaudhry Nazir Ahmad Arain.
In 2013 general elections, Chaudhry Nazir Ahmad Jatt was refused party tickets by the main political parties. Consequently, he fielded his two wives, two daughters and two nephews as independent candidates on all major national and provincial assembly seats of the district, but they lost elections. However, his daughter Ayesha Nazir Jatt got 42,000 votes as an independent candidate from NA-167 in the presence of the PML-N, PTI and PPP candidates, which astonished the political pundits.
In 2014, Chaudhry Nazir Ahmad Jatt again went close to the PML-Q during dharna of the PTI in 2014 but to not avail as the PML-N government successfully came out of the crisis.
After it, Nazir Ahmad Jatt and his daughter Ayesha Jatt started sending messages to Imran Khan and Parvez Khattak on their twitter accounts, praising them. And at last, they joined the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf.
Meanwhile, the PTI local activists and workers are not happy on the party decision and they have expressed their resentment against it.