Though millions of Sindhis have their eyes set on the Pir Pagara-led Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) to replace Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), sources told Pakistan Today that the PML-F was under pressure to please nationalists by sideling its own eligible candidates for upcoming polls.
Interestingly, the Hurs and those indulged in provincial politics are being sidelining by the PML-F leadership which will not help Pir Pagara in challenging the PPP in polls, said sources.
Earlier, almost all political parties excluding the ruling PPP and MQM had gathered under the umbrella of PML-F to form an electoral alliance in Sindh, hoping to give a tough time to the PPP-led ruling coalition in polls.
The alliance, which consisted of ten political parties, was to field joint candidates to contend PPP and MQM or their joint candidates.
The parties of the grand alliance included PML-F, PML-N, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Pakistan Sunni Tehreek (PST), Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP), National People’s Party (NPP), Sindh United Party (SUP), Sindh Tarraqqi Pasand Party (STPP) and Awami Tehreek (AT).
Sources said old faces from the PML-F were unhappy after being sidelined by the PML-F leadership, headed by Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh.
Insiders revealed that two meetings were held on Wednesday at the Functional House that included Mohammad Hussain Mehnati of JI, Liaquat Jatoi, Saleem Zia and Nehal Hashmi of PML-N, Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah and Zain Shah of Sindh United Party among others.
Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah of SUP secured support for his seat from Jamshoro district however he also succeeded in securing another seat of PS-27 Sakrand (district Shaheed Benazirabad) sidelining PML-F leader Ghulam Irtaza alias Shahrukh Unar.
PML-F sources said the SUP leader Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah wanted to bring his close relative Syed Zain Shah from PS-27 Sakrand owing to PML-F’s popularity there. However, PML-F leader Ghulam Irtaza alias Shahrukh was the most deserving candidate as he had more than 8,000 votes of his tribe and 15,000 votes of PML-F supporters, sources added.
PML-F President Syed Zahid Shah also attended the meeting to support Ghulam Irtaza Unar however Imtiaz Shaikh kept him overshadowed, which eventually led him to leave the meeting.
Senior leaders, on condition of anonymity, told Pakistan Today that Yasir Shah, nephew of Pir Pagara, and Imtiaz Shaikh had been at loggerheads over distribution of party tickets.
“This is why Yasir Shah avoided attending the meeting because he was in favour of fielding PML-F leaders on majority of the seats but Shaikh was trying to please nationalists instead of providing the masses with a replacement to the PPP alliance in the shape of Pir Pagara’s leadership”.
Sources further revealed that the local leadership was also against an alliance with nationalist parties as they feared the PML-F would give away its growing popularity that had come after its strong stance against various measures that the PPP government had taken.
“The candidates who have been denied party tickets will definitely be discouraged and will talk against the grand alliance. However, the party will adjust its angry friends after elections,” PML-F central leader Imtiaz Shaikh told Pakistan Today.
“The party board is finalising tickets and we will revisit the decision of tickets allotted to nationalists. Pir Sahab Pagara is thinking in the larger interest of the people and therefore everyone must exhibit tolerance in this regard,” he added.
