AHMEDPUR EAST-Like the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (N), the Pakistan Teheek-e-Insaf (PTI) has also split into three factions in Ahmedpur East on the issue of party tickets.
One PTI group consists of ex-tehsil nazim Samiul Hassan Gillani and ex-MNA Malik Aamar Yar Warran. And other group is led by Ex-MNA Arif Aziz Sheikh, while, the third the group is functioning under the leadership of former deputy speaker Punjab Assembly Sahibzada Usman Abbasi.
Difference among the PTI ranks surfaced during Imran Khan public meeting in Dhorkot where Aamar Warran and Sami Gillani group removed the welcoming banners and flexes, displayed by ex-MNA Arif Aziz Sheikh and Ex-MPA Sahibzada Muhammad Gazain Abbasi before the arrival of PTI chairman and did not give them chance to deliver speeches in the presence of Imran Khan.
Moreover, Gazain Abbasi did not attend the public meeting in Dhorkot while only his younger brother Shahzain Abbasi was present there. Warran group was annoyed due to Shahzain Abbasi’s announcement to contest election from their home constituency PP-269 while Sami Gillani feels that his main rival Arif Aziz Sheikh is close with Usman Abbasi group so both Aamar Warran and Sami Gillani joined hands.
After the Dhorkot public meeting, Sami Gillani and Aamar Yar Warran called on Imran Khan at the residence of Jahangir Tareen in Lodhran and discussed upcoming 2018 polls. It is also clear that if PTI does not award its PP-269 Punjab assembly ticket to Shahzain Abbasi, he will contest election as an independent or join PPP.
Earlier, Samiul Hassan Gillani and Malik Aamar Yar Warran joined PTI with the support of Jahangir Tareen. Sami Gillani who is maternal nephew of ex-premier Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani and his cousin is sister-in-law of Jehangir Tareen. She is daughter of BNAP MPA Makhdoom Syed Iftikhar Hassan Gillani whose son Makhdoomzada Syed Umar Gillani attended Imran Khan meeting in Dhorkot on 2nd November.
It is worth mentioning that all the aspirants of PTI tickets for two national and three Punjab assembly have switched from other political parties. PTI one founder member Farooq Ahmed Malik who had contested National Assembly election in 1997 against Nawab Salahuddin Abbasi, had parted ways with PTI. Two aspirants of NA-183 ticket Samiul Hassan Gillani and Arif Aziz Sheikh were introduced by Nawab Salahuddin Abbasi in political arena. Samiul Hassan Gillani was first elected as chairman of District Council Bahawalpur and then tehsil nazim of Ahmedpur East with the support of Nawab Salahuddin Abbasi. He remained associated with PML-N but later he joined PML-Q during the tenure of Ch Pervaiz Elahi as chief minister. He had nominated him as Kings Party candidate for the slot of tehsil nazim in 2005. He was also awarded PML-Q ticket for NA-183 in 2008 general election but was defeated at the hands of Nawab Salahuddin Abbasi’s nominee Arif Aziz Sheikh.
Now, Sami Gillani has assured PTI leadership that his uncle Sajjada Nasheen Makhdoom Syed Iftikhar Hassan Gillani would join PTI before general elections. PTI sources reveal that it is one of the conditions of PTI leadership for awarding NA ticket to Sami Gillani. Other NA ticket candidate ex-MNA Arif Aziz Sheikh left PPP and joined PTI in the presence of PTI Vice Chairman Makhdoom Shah Mehmooq Qureshi along with ex-PPP candidate Malik Jamshed Lallu
On of the three PTI factions is headed by Sahibzada Muhammad Usman Abbasi who joined PTI first of all in Sub-division Ahmedpur East in 2013.He is grandson of last ruler of former Bahawalpur State Nawab Sir Sadiq Khan Abbasi. He was elected MPA first time in 1985 non party elections. In 1988, he joined PPP, as he was class fellow of late Murtaza Bhutto and school fellow of former president Asif Ali Zardari. In 1988 general elections, Benazir Bhutto had handed over him blank PPP tickets of all constituencies of Bahawalpur district. He contested election as Punjab Assembly candidate in 1988 but was defeated by Nawab Salahuddin Abbasi’s nominee Sardar Abdullah Khan Dahar.
In 1990 and 1993 general elections Usman Abbasi contested against Nawab Salahuddin Abbasi but failed to win against him,. however he was elected MPA in 1985,1990 and 1997 general elections. In 2002 general elections his nominee Sahibzada Muzzamilur Rasheed Abbasi won the Punjab Assembly election. In 2008 general elections, Usman Abbasi’s son Gazain Abbasi was elected MPA as an independent candidate but he later joined PPP due to his father’s close ties with Bhutto family. Nawab Salahuddin Abbasi in his recent interview published by a leading national daily announced to retire from active politics due to his old age, however he announced that his son Prince Bahawal Abbas Khan Abbasi will lead Bahawalpur province’s restoration campaign.
Similarly PTI leadership will have to drop either Sami Gillani or Arif Aziz as both the leaders are aspirants of PTI ticket for NA-183 Ahmedpur East. Both would contest for NA seat whether they succeed in getting PTI ticket or not. However, Arif Aziz is depending upon Makhdoom Shah Mehmoor Qureshi while Sami Gillani is hopeful of Jahangir Tareen’s support in this respect.