MUZAFFARGARH: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has suffered a setback in the Alipur/Jatoi areas of the district where former provincial minister Haroon Sultan Bukhari, who had joined the party one year ago, has now severed ties with the party.

He switched allegiance to the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F (JUI-F) and secured a ticket from the party for NA-177 and PP-272.

The development came to the public view when Mr Bukhari, who was a PML-N candidate for the same constituencies in 2018 elections, submitted the JUI-F tickets for election symbols. In doing so, Mr Bukhari deprived the PPP of considering other suitable candidates from the influential Jatoi or other families.

Mr Bukhari, the brother of Basit Sultan Bukhari, also a regular fence-sitter, had joined the PPP in March last after a meeting with former president Asif Ali Zardari in Lahore in the presence of PPP South Punjab President Makhdoom Ahmad Mehmood.

According to the PPP sources, the party leadership in a bid to strengthen Mr Bukhari in the area, asked Hamid Saeed Kazmi to contest elections for NA-177.

The area has a sizeable presence of Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan followers and in 1990, Qayyum Jatoi had won the seat on the JUP-Norani ticket. Initially, Mr Kazmi submitted his papers for NA-177, but seeing Mr Bukhari’s tilt towards the JUI-F, he withdrew his paper and opted to contest election for a Rahim Yar Khan seat.

When Mr Bukhari joined the PPP, party workers welcomed him as he was considered a strong candidate for these constituencies. With the departure of Mr Bukhari, the area does not have a PPP candidate now.

The Jatoi brothers from the constituencies, who were the PPP loyalists till 2013, have switched to the PTI.

Published in Dawn, January 16th, 2024