Imran’s support a sigh of relief for embattled Buzdar

LAHORE: Prime Minister Imran Khan’s complementary remarks for Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar have come as a sigh of relief for the CM who has been in headlines multiple times for wrong reasons since assuming the office in August.

Usman Buzdar, who hails from Tehsil Taunsa, and area of Barthi in District Dera Ghazi Khan, was elected MPA for the first time in his political career. He served as Tehsil Nazim of PML-Q in the Musharraf era while his father Sardar Fateh Muhammad Buzdar was PML-Q MPA in 2002 and 2008.

Usman contested the 2013 general election on the PML-N ticket while his group had joined but lost to PPP’s Khawaja Nizam. He made a comeback in 2018 general elections while getting elected MPA on PTI ticket, a party he had joined only a few months ago.

Usman Buzdar was a surprise choice for the slot of Punjab Chief Minister by Imran Khan who ignored many noted figures in the party who were actively lobbying to become CM before this decision.

After the July 25 elections in which PTI emerged as the party with the largest number of seats in Punjab, a race among many seasoned politicians for the slot of CM started. Interestingly, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who has also been the PTI Vice-Chairman, lost the provincial assembly seat and he was out of the race for CM slot.

Jehangir Tareen, while facing disqualification by court was already out of contest. Afterwards, the names of figures like Abdul Aleem Khan, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Mian Mehmood-ul-Rasheed, Sibtain Khan, Hasnain Bahadur Dareshak started doing rounds but party was caught with surprise when Imran Khan nominated Usman Buzdar as the Chief Minister of Punjab.

The reason behind his nomination, as explained by Imran Khan, was Usman Buzdar’s link with a backward area and IK held the view that a figure like Buzdar could well assess and address the grievances of the people hailing from neglected areas. Sources in PTI also said that Usman Buzdar was the choice of central leader Jehangir Tareen who remained an active figure in the merger of Junoobi Punjab Mahaz with PTI and joining of many noted groups of Southern Punjab in PTI before the July 25 elections. However, Tareen has denied it.

Usman Buzdar made headlines for wrong reasons for the first time within 24 hours of his nomination as the CM candidate when in social and mainstream media, his local opponents started to appear and started levelling various allegations against him.

His name was attributed to a murder case in his area which was settled by paying Diyat. Besides, charges of smuggling in DG Khan bordering areas were also levelled against him and his real brother Umar Buzdar, who is associated with Border Military Police, was also accused of misusing authority.

Nevertheless, Imran Khan pitched Usman Buzdar as the PTI and allies candidate for CM Punjab slot and he won it while defeating PML-N’s Hamza Shahbaz with a margin of 27 votes. Buzdar in the contest got 186 votes followed by 159 of PML-N. PPP didn’t participate in the polling process.

After assuming the office of the chief minister, the first test Buzdar faced was the transfer of DPO Pakpattan Rizwan Gondal and he was accused of influencing his position. The case also brought the PTI government and Prime Minister Imran Khan under criticism but finally after the pardon sought by the CM himself in the Supreme Court the matter has been sorted out. Moreover, a death of a minor girl allegedly due to the protocol of CM Buzdar during his visit to Mian Channu also invited severe criticism on the government.

With this, the CM Punjab also had to undergo a testing situation while his inability to face media and his qualification also remained under discussion which gave ample opportunity to the PTI critics to ridicule the government. Insiders in the PTI believe that a lobby comprising some of the members who were among the top aspirants for the CM slot remained active against Usman Buzdar since he assumed the office. However, the senior leadership denies this.

Not only this, a series of various speculations regarding the future in House situation in Punjab Assembly followed by the by-polls also posed different questions about the CM. Some of the noted PTI figures who lost the 2018 general elections from their home seat and their activism to get re-elected, even from the constituencies falling in other district also gave rise to several speculations in PTI cadres about the future of CM Punjab.

One such precedent is also seen in Sahiwal Division. Sumsam Bokhari, the PTI Punjab Information Secretary, having suffered defeat from his home seat of Okara showed interest to contest from a provincial seat, PP-201, that falls in adjoining district of Sahiwal and is vacated by Rai Murtaza who took oath in National Assembly.

When PTI awarded ticket to Sumsam Bokhari from Chichawatni, Sahiwal, Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo, who also lost the July 25 election, filed nominations from here. After Wattoo filed nomination papers, PTI Central leader Jehangir Tareen immediately called on him and convinced him to withdraw papers and support Sumsam Bokhari after which he agreed to withdraw. For most of the PTI workers, a figure like Sumsam Bokhari, who has served as federal minister, the decision of going for a provincial seat was a surprise.

More than that, PTI cadres were once again abuzz with speculation after the sudden disqualification of Salman Naeem, an independent MPA who defeated Shah Mehmood Qureshi from PP-217, Multan. After this seat fell vacant, several questions started arising regarding the future scene of Punjab Assembly after the election on this seat from where, it was very much believed that Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi could contest and return to PA for a ‘greater responsibility.’

However, all the questions, speculations concerning the future of Chief Minister Usman Buzdar ended when Prime Minister Imran Khan in a press conference in Lahore categorically stated that Buzdar will remain the CM.

“Usman Buzdar will continue to be the chief minister until the completion of PTI government’s tenure” said Imran Khan while ruling out any change at this level in Punjab. Imran Khan, during the interaction with Lahore journalists also described Usman Buzdar as the ‘real Khadim-e-Aala’, a term that former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif used for himself.

“He has soft corner for people and understands their problems, he is the real symbol of change” remarked the prime minister while talking to media on Sunday. Imran had also stated that Buzdar hailed from an area where there has been no electricity, hospital or water.

No one would have thought that Buzdar would become the CM and he was the person who was well aware of the problems faced by common people, said the PM. These supporting remarks by Prime Minister Imran Khan has put an end to the speculations, predictions about the future of CM Usman Buzdar unless his captain takes another U-Turn.