MUHAMMAD IRTAZA
MULTAN

As the PML-N and PTI head for a final showdown in third phase of local government election in Multan district, both the parties find their own “rebels” standing in way of their candidates, The Nation has learnt.
If the PML-N candidates face their comrades contesting election against them on the electoral signs of Diamond and Bucket, the PTI ones are confronted by the annoyed ticket aspirants now running on the sign of Ballaybaaz (Batsman). Political analysts are of the opinion that the rebels and independent candidates are likely to change the whole dimension of the result and play a major role in election for the mayor and chairman district council.
The PPP issued just 15 tickets in Multan district but the political observers believe that they will perform well in rural areas.
With 160 tickets issued to the candidates against 185 constituencies of Multan district, the PML-N led all the political parties in race for tickets issuance. The party had to declare 25 constituencies as Open due to a massive tug-of-war among party office bearers, parliamentarians and aspirants of tickets. The party is also confronted by its own workers or office bearers as opponent candidates in about 40 per cent constituencies.
Similarly, the PTI issued 136 tickets and left 49 constituencies vacant. Besides the candidates from other political parties, the ticket holders of PTI are likely to face a tough opposition from the candidates contesting election on the sign of Ballaybaaz in about 15 constituencies.
The PML-N leaders introduced Faisalabad-style politics in Multan. State Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali made a sudden entry in political circuit of Multan a few days back and patted on the back of the rebels, asking them to stand firm against N candidates. He attended an electoral gathering of Zahid Adnan Guddu, a youth wing leader now contesting against PML-N candidate Sheikh Tanveer from UC-31, and assured him of full support. He also met with Rao Anees, who was denied ticket from UC-4, and announced support for him against PML-N candidate Kausar Ali Shah. The parliamentarians and office bearers of PML-N went too far for getting their blue-eyed persons tickets. Former MNA from NA-149 and City General Secretary Sheikh Tariq Rasheed’s differences with District President Bilal Butt as well as City President Rana Shahid and MPA from PP-195 Rana Mehmood ul Hassan are no more a secret. In NA-150, former provincial minister Ch. Abdul Waheed Arrain and MPA Rana Mehmood ul Hassan fought against each other for getting tickets to their boys while in NA-151 federal minister Haji Sikandar Hayat Bosan and MPA from PP-198 Mian Shahzad Maqbool Bhutta are face to face. The stories of serious differences between MNA from NA-148 Malik Abdul Ghaffar Dogar and MPA from PP-201 Mazhar Abbas Raan have already been reported by the local media. In NA-152 MNA Javed Ali Shah and MPA from PP-205 Rana Ijaz Noon fought so furiously that the party had leave 17 union councils of Shujabad and all 12 wards of Municipal Committee as Open. In NA-153 Dewan and Laang Groups are face to face which forced the party to declare three union councils and four wards as Open.
The data available with The Nation reveals that PML-N candidate from UC-3 Fayyaz Khan is facing his own comrade Jamshed Khan Tareen, UC-4 Kausar Shah faces Rao Aneesur Rehman, UC-5 Irfan Joyia faces Rao Mazhar ul Islam, UC-10 Rana Ishtiaq faces Tariq Murtaza, UC-13 Rana Azeem faces Mahmood Qureshi, UC-14 Rai Arif Mansab faces Sheikh Rafiq, UC-16 Hamid Arrain faces Aslam Khan, UC-20 Imran Arshad faces Rana Muhammad Afzal, UC-31 Sheikh Tanveer faces Zahid Adnan Guddu, UC-36 Risalat Sherwani faces Shahid Mukhtar Lodhi and UC-54 Rana Niaz Ali faces Rana Sajjad. The PTI sources said that MNA from NA-149 Malik Aamir Dogar and MPA from PP-194 Zaheer Udden Allezai ran the election campaigns of independent candidates against the ones contesting election on PTI tickets. Similarly, ticket holder form PP-194 Waseem Khan Badozai also put his own candidates against the ones issued ticket by the PTI.
In UC-6 Maroof Tariq Khan is faced with MPA backed Mazhar Malghani, UC-12 Sajid Bashir faces Hidayat ullah Gujjar, UC-32 Adnan Dogar faces Dr Mazhar, UC-33 Syed Maqbool Bokhari faces Ijaz Fakhar, UC-34 Malik Abrar faces Naseem Khan Labar, UC-35 Asim Sanjrani faces Saleem Ullah, UC-64 Yousuf Damra faces Atif Awan, UC-65 Allah Ditta Ansari faces Khalid Ansari, UC-68 Rao Asif faces Ghulam Nabi Wains while the ticket from Jahanzaib Bucha was withdrawn and UC-67 was declared as Open on strong protest from Ch Asif Irshad.