NA-27: Family of late PTI MNA joins ANP

PESHAWAR: The family of late Member National Assembly (MNA) Gulzar Khan has joined the Awami National Party (ANP) by saying goodbye to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Former bureaucrat Gulzar Khan was elected MNA on PTI ticket from the then National Assembly constituency NA-4, now NA-27. However, during the dharna in Islamabad in August 2014, he developed differences with the PTI leadership when Imran Khan asked the lawmakers belonging to his party to tender resignation and Gulzar Khan along with a few other MNAs refused to do so.

Though PTI used the resignations threat as a political stunt and none of the party MNAs resigned, rather they returned to the assembly, the dissident members were not pardoned till last. After Gulzar Khan’s death on August 28, 2017, his son Asad Gulzar contested by-election on his seat on Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) ticket as PTI awarded ticket to Arbab Amir Ayub whose family had switched over from Awami National Party (ANP).

Arbab Amir won the by-election followed by ANP’s Khushdil Khan, PML-N’s Nasir Khan Musazai while Asad Gulzar stood 4th.

A few months ago, Asad Gulzar as well as Nasir Musazai joined the PTI. Though Imran Khan garlanded Asad Gulzar and welcomed him into the party fold, he wasn’t given the ticket for the general election. Nasir Musazai got the ticket and it infuriarated Asad Gulzar and his family.

Retired Major Muhammad Iqbal, the uncle of Asad Gulzar, along with his family and supporters announced joining ANP, thus quitting PTI once again. The family announced support to the ANP candidate Arbab Kamal who is contesting against PML-N provincial president Amir Muqam, PTI’s Nasir Musazai and Mufti Naeem Jan of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) besides others.

After delimitation, the constituency has been changed to some extent. It is a bit different that the one won by Arbab Amir in the October 2017 by-poll with a big margin of more than 20,000 votes. Now a tough contest is expected among ANP, PTI and PML-N candidates. Political analysts believe the decision by Asad Gulzar’s family to join the ANP would benefit Arbab Kamal as being a former bureaucrat Gulzar Khan had influence and personal vote in the area.

He had provided employment to a number of people in the area besides helping them in their issues in the courts, police department and civic services.

On the other hand, Amir Muqam and Nasir Musazai have also executed many development projects, especially electrification and natural gas schemes, Nasir Musazai by parting ways with PML-N has confused the voters as most of the schemes launched or executed by him were actually got approved by Amir Muqam.