Dera Ghazi Khan LG polls Intense contest is expected in four union councils From Hasnain Qaisrani DERA GHAZI KHAN: An intense contest is expected in four union councils of Dera Ghazi Khan municipal corporation among different groups of Pakistan Muslim League-N after the party tickets were not allotted due to a tussle in the troika comprising MNA Sardar Owais Leghari, Sardar Jamal Khan Leghari, Hafiz Abdul Kareem and MPA Syed Abdul Aleem Shah. The said union councils - UC 6, UC 9, UC 12 and UC 14 - consist of areas which were once thought to be the stronghold of Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa. However, right now, no single group can claim dominance in the area, as different castes and biradaris live there. Differences surfaced over distribution of tickets when the PML-N big guns in the area favoured different people close to them. As a result, the Punjab chief minister decided to keep open all the four union council seats. However, all contestants would face the rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which has fielded candidates on almost all seats. For UC 6, PML-N MNA Hafiz Abdul Kareem is supporting Rashid Hussain Siddiqui and Ghulam Fareed Korai, while PML-N MPA Syed Abdul Aleem Shah has fielded Syed Farasat Hussain Naqvi and Ghulam Sarwar. Also, Malik Mohammad Afzal and Ilyas Khan Chandia are being patronised by MNA Sardar Owais Ahmed Leghari. Interestingly, Legharis had been extending support to the family of Farasat Shah in the past. But, this time, they have decided to back another candidate. This union council is located in the northern and western part of the city from where Malik Mohammad Afzal was elected as nazim in the last local government elections. The PTI has fielded Mohammad Aslam Shah and Mohammad Ejaz Ahmed for UC 6. For union council no 9, Sardar Owais Ahmed Leghari has fielded Qazi Waseem Ahmed and Rana Mohammad Islam, while Hafiz Abdul Kareem and Syed Abdul Aleem Shah are supporting former chairman market committee DG Khan Sheikh Israr Ahmed and Zakaullah Gujjar. Khursheed Ahmed alias Sheikh Mohammad Sadiq and Sohail Ahmed are contesting on the PTI ticket, while Pakistan People’s Party has fielded Sheikh Mohammad Iqbal and Wajid Ali Shah with Liaquat Ali Qureshi and Mohammad Saleem Chohan from the PPP Shaheed Bhutto group. Another old member of the PML-N, Tariq Ali Khan Kakar, has made an alliance with Jammat-e-Islami at local level, and fielded Sheikh Haider Farooq as vice chairman. As per independent analysts, the actual contest is between Khursheed Ahmed and Sheikh Israr Ahmed, while this council is located in the centre of the city and is getting much attention of the voters and the candidates’ supporters. The JI had never won the LG elections from DG Khan in the past, but this time it is campaigning in a very scientific way. Urban council no 12 is located in the hometown of MNA Hafiz Abdul Kareem. The candidates in the field are Sardar Habibur Rehman Leghari and Mohammad Akbar Malkani from Sardar Owais Khan Leghari group, while Mohammad Faheem Amjad and Zubair Ramzan Bhatti are backed by Hafiz Abdul Kareem. Mohammad Aleem Arshad and Abdul Hameed Khan have been awarded tickets by the PTI. Neck-and-neck contest is expected in union council no 14, where Absaar Khan Lodhi and Abdul Kareem are representing Hafiz Abdul Kareem and Syed Abdul Aleem Shah, while Naseem Akhtar alias Khala Nimmu and Khalilur Rehman Leghari are being supported by Sardar Owais Ahmed Leghari. In this constituency, the PPP has fielded Mohammad Iqbal Bhutta and Mohammad Ikram Qureshi, while Mohammad Aneed Babbar and Mohammad Yaqoob Qaisrani have been fielded by the PTI. Sardar Mohammad Jamal Leghari is actively campaigning for the Leghari group, while from the other side, Syed Abdul Aleem Shah is working day and night for these four seats.
