LAHORE – After doing homework in six divisions, PPP Central Punjab President Mian Manzoor Wattoo is having an important meeting with his party stalwarts in the provincial capital to chalk out election strategy with special focus on Lahore.
To be attended by prospective candidates from Lahore and senior party leaders, the meeting has been arranged at the residence of PPP’s former Lahore President Mian Misbahur Rehman who may be a party candidate from Lahore this time around.
Misbah did not contest the previous election, and instead, had fielded his son Umer Misbah who lost to SardarAyyaz Sadiq of the PML-N by a wide margin of over 55, 000 votes.
This would be his second meeting with party’s Lahore leadership after completion of consultation process with local party leaders in Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sahiwal, Sargodha and Lahore divisions. Though the meeting would primarily focus on Lahore, but Manzoor Wattoo would take the party men into confidence about his recent meetings held with potential candidates in central Punjab who contested 2008 election in their individual capacity, said the sources.
Prospects of seat adjustments with PML-Q and JI would also come under discussion during the meeting. PPP stalwart Navid Ch believes that with the combined vote bank of his party can give tough time to PML-N candidates in NA-126, NA-127 and NA-118 as a result of seat adjustment with PML-Q. He is also confident about his victory from NA-125 in the coming elections provided they are not rigged in PML-N’s favour.
It many be recalled that PPP won only two national seats from Lahore out of total 13 in the last election from Lahore, though some of its candidates like Syed Asif Hashmi, Auranzeb Burki, Navid Ch, and Dr Hasnaat Shah performed better compared to other party candidates.
According to sources, setting up of party’s election secretariat in Lahore would also be on the agenda of today’s meeting besides consideration of some names to fill the vacant slots in party’s central Punjab organisation. Wattoo had dissolved all lower cadre slots immediately after assuming charge as party’s central Punjab.
In a related development, Mian Manzoor Wattoo has hired the services of a retired bureaucrat, Kashif Murtaza to assist him on election related matters. Currently advisor to the AJK prime minister, Mr Murtaza has served as Secretary Local Government, Federal Secretary Railways and as chief secretary in AJK.