People reject turncoats, timid candidates

ISLAMABAD: The electorates across Pakistan have rejected majority of turncoats and all those who bowed to pressure and surrendered party tickets during the election process.

The turncoats like Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo, Khurram Jahangir Wattoo, Rubina Shaheen Wattoo, Nazar Gondal, Nadeem Afzal Chann, Firdous Ashiq Awan, Smasam Bokhari and Tariq Anees who left PPP to join the party being patronised by the state or contested as independent candidates lost the elections. Similarly, Bilal Ahmad Virk, Rana Nazir and his son Umar Nazir, Sheikh Akram, Sheikh Waqas Akram, Jam Kamal and many others who ditched PML-N also lost the elections. Not only this all those south Punjab politicians who under mysterious pressure left PML-N to contest as independent candidates also bit the dust. Only one such candidate of South Punjab Amjad Farooq Khosa first lost to Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa but later during recounting won the election. But in this case both contesting candidates were turncoats.

Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo, who was made president of PPPP Punjab chapter contested elections as an independent but got PTI tickets for his son Khurram Jahangir Wattoo and daughter Rubina Khalid Wattoo. All the three Wattoos lost the elections. Manzoor Wattoo who contested from Okara NA-144 on election symbol “lock”, got 105,585 votes and lost to Muhammad Moeen Wattoo of PML-N who got 118,670 votes.

Khurram Jahangir Wattoo who contested from Okara PP-186 on PTI ticket obtained 50,320 votes and lost to PMLN’s Noorul Amin Wattoo who got 57,439 votes. Rubina Shaheen Wattoo contested from Okara PP-185 on PTI ticket, got 42,630 votes and lost to PML-N’s Chaudhary Iftikhar Hussain Chhachhar who got 48,910 votes.

Chaudhary Bilal Ahmad Virk who was a PML-N MNA from Nankana Sahib last time contested elections on PTI ticket from NA-117 this time and lost by obtaining 66,994 votes to Muhammad Barjees Tahir of PML-N who secured 71,891 votes.

Nazar Gondal, an active PPP leader some time back contested from NA-86, Mandi Bahawuddin, got 80,637 votes and lost to Nasir Iqbal Bosal of PML-N who secured 147,105 votes. Nadeem Afzal Chann, a senior PPP leader until last year and was made chairman of prestigious Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly by the party, ditched PPP and contested from NA-88, Sargodha on PTI ticket, got 115,622 votes and lost to Mukhtar Ahmad Malik of PML-N who secured 129,615 votes.

Firdous Ashiq Awan, former heath and information minister of PPP government left the party some time back to join PTI. She contested from NA-72, Sialkot, got 91,393 votes and lost to Chaudhry Armughan Subhani of PML-N who secured 129,041 votes.

Samsan Bukhari who was made minister of state for information by the PPP had left the party some two years back. He contested from NA-141, Okara, got 60,217 votes and lost to Nadeem Abbas of PML-N who got 92,841 votes.

Rana Nazir, formerly associated with PML-N and his son was PML-N MNA last time. He contested from NA-83, Gujranwala, got 75,940 votes and lost to PML-N’s Zulfiqar Ahmad who obtained 139,235 votes. His son Rana Umar Nazir Khan, contested from PP-63, got 23,845 votes and lost to PML-N’s Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal who secured 30,460 votes.

Sheikh Waqas Akram, who could not contest 2013 general election despite being in PML-N because of a fake degree scandal against him, made his father Sheikh Akram to contest. His father contested on PML-N ticket and won last time. This time both father and son contested as independent candidates and lost. Waqas Akram contested from NA-115, Jhang, got 60,598 votes and lost to PTI’s Ghulam Bibi Bharwana who got 91,434 votes. Others in this constituency Maulana Muhammad Ahmad Ludhianvi got 68,515 votes whereas Syeda Sughra Imam got 21,108 votes. His father Sheikh Akram contested from NA-116, Jhang, lost to PTI’s Muhammad Ameer Sultan who got 90,649 votes. Others in this constituency Muhammad Asif Muavia got 70,842 votes, Ameer Abbas Sial got 54,176 votes whereas Siama Akhtar Bharwana got 48,731 votes. Sheikh Akram didn’t run his election campaign.

Tariq Anees, former PPP leader and minister of state during his party’s government had left PPP long ago to join PTI. However, PTI refused him party ticket and he contested as an independent candidate from NA-77 Narowal, secured 70,596 votes and lost to Mehnaz Akbar Aziz of PML-N who got 106,366 votes. Mian Muhammad Rasheed of PTI secured 52,231 votes from this constituency.

Jam Kamal from Balochistan was a PML-N minister in previous cabinet left the party to join BAP. He contested from NA-272, Lesbela cum Gwadar, got 63,276 votes and lost to independent candidate Muhammad Aslam Bhootani 68,894.

Among those who ditched PML-N at the eleventh hour, Sher Ali Gorchani contested from NA-193, Rajanpur, got 46,693 votes and lost to PTI’ Sardar Muhammad Jaffar Khan Leghari who secured 81,149 votes. Not only this, Sher Ali also lost provincial assembly seat PP-293 by securing 33,454 votes against Muhammad Mohsan Leghari of PTI who got 45,047 votes.

Sher Ali’s father Pervez Gorchani contested from PP-295, got 37,571 votes and lost to PTI’s Sardar Farooq Amanullah Dareshak who got 48,549 votes. Sher Ali’s relative Ather Gorchani contested from PP-294, Rajanpur, got 26,490 votes and lost to PTI’s Sardar Hasnain Bahadar who got 41,539 votes. All Gorchanis announced to surrender PML-N ticket on the last day of election schedule.

Yousuf Khan Dareshak surrendered PML-N ticket under pressure, contested from PP-296, got 27,090 votes and lost to PTI’s Muhammad Tariq Dareshak who secured 42,119 votes. His brother Dr Hafeez Rehman Khan Dareshak contested from NA-194, obtained 64,565 votes and lost to Sardar Nasrullah Khan Dareshak of PTI who obtained 73,226 votes.

Sultan Mehmood Hanjra also surrendered the ticket on the last day, contested from NA-181, Muzaffargarh, got 54,253 votes and lost to independent candidate Muhammad Shabbir Ali who secured 64,012 votes. A turncoat of all seasons, Malik Ghulam Mustafa Khar, who was contesting on PTI ticket from this constituency, could get only 48,858 votes.

Interestingly, in NA-190, Dera Ghazi Khan, disgruntled PML-N politician Sardar Zulfikar Khosa was contesting against Amjad Farooq Khosa who bowed to pressure and returned PML-N ticket on the last day of polling schedule. First Zulfikar Khosa defeated Amjad Khosa with a thin margin and then after recounting Amjad defeated Zulfikar with a lead of few hundred votes and the game is still on. According to so far final vote count released by the ECP Amjad Khosa obtained 72,159 votes whereas Zulfikar Khosa votes are 71,964.

Shamoona Mir Badshah Qaisrani was awarded PML-N ticket for NA-189 and she also decided to get on the bandwagon of ‘Jeep’ by returning PML-N ticket but deadline to do so expired and she could get only 520 votes while Mir Badshah Qaisrani from this constituency secured 39,522 votes and lost to PTI’ Khawaja Sheraz Mehmood who secured 78,596 votes. On provincial assembly seat PP-285, Shamoona Mir Badshah Qaisrani failing to return PML-N ticket in time could get 326 votes while Mir Badshah Qaisrani as an independent candidate got 26,176 votes and lost to PTI’s Khawaja Muhammad Daud Sulemani who got 27,840 votes.

Sardar Dost Muhammad Khosa, Punjab ex-CM in 2008 contested from NA-191, got 31,697 votes and lost to Zartaj Gul of PTI who secured 79,817 votes. PML-N’s Awais Leghari also lost from this constituency by securing 54,548 votes. Awais was federal minister in PML-N government. There are a few turncoats like Fawad Chaudhry who won the elections but those are a few in number.