Nadeem Chan’s two different stances in 10 years

LAHORE:Pakistan Peoples Party Secretary Information Nadeem Afzal Chan's recent statement in which he said PPP's defeat in Sambrial by-poll is a result of its alignment with PMLN has come in stark contrast with his stance 10 years ago.

In the year 2015, Nadeem Afzal Chan had linked PPP's defeat in Senate elections from Punjab to secret alliance between PMLN and PTI and now in 2025 by-poll held in PP 52, Nadeem Afzal is linking PPP's defeat to PPP's alignment or support to the PMLN government. In the year 2015, Nadeem Afzal Chan, a former PPP MNA of 2008 from Sargodha, was fielded as PPP candidate for Senate from Punjab while PPP had only 7 MPAs in the House. PTI, with around 30 MPAs then had staged boycott of the Senate polls and PPP, with a very thin representation in the House had to go extra mile to win the elections.

Due to the lobbying of PPP leadership, particularly Asif Ali Zardari and Nadeem Chan's own political connections in Punjab, he surprised everyone while bagging 27 votes, whereas PPP had only 10 MPAs in the Punjab Assembly.

Had Nadeem Chan got the PTI support in the secret ballot, Chan would have easily become the member of Senate for next six years. However, PTI had boycotted the election that benefitted PMLN indirectly and it won all the Senate seats from Punjab and PPP could not win the only seat it was contesting.

Soon after the results, while talking to media outside Punjab Assembly, Nadeem Chan had criticized the PTI leadership for benefitting PMLN and stated it seemed the alliance existed between these two parties. A couple of years later, by 2017, Nadeem Afzal Chan himself became the part of PTI and also contested on the symbol of bat from the National Assembly seat he had won in 2008 on PPP ticket but lost to PMLN's Dr Malik Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath.

His brother Gulrez Afzal became MPA of PTI and other brother, former PPP MPA of 2008 Waseem Afzal could not win. During the PTI’ government led by Imran Khan, Nadeem Chan also served as spokesperson to the Prime Minister but later on, he returned to PPP.

This is quite surprising that 10 years ago, Nadeem Afzal Chan was displeased with the alleged alignment between PTI and PMLN and again, after the defeat of PPP candidate in Sambrial, he is displeased with own party's support to PMLN and declares it a reason behind PPP's defeat in by elections.