Hafeez Shaikh election: Tarin confronts opposition of Qureshi-led troika

ISLAMABAD: The reported decision by former federal minister and senior politician Jehangir Khan Tarin to support PTI’s candidate and federal minister Dr Hafeez Sheikh for Senate seat from the federal capital is being resisted by his political buddies in South Punjab leaving him confused about playing a role in the Senate game.

The major objection is for opposing former Prime Minister Makhdoom Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, a candidate from the Saraiki areas. Gilani who hails from Saraiki Wasaib and had laid the foundations for the struggle of establishing a separate province carved out of Punjab consisting of Saraiki areas.

Well-placed political sources told The News here Saturday that the PTI has asked Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Federal Planning Minister Asad Umar and Governor Punjab Chaudhary Muhammad Sarwar to steer the election campaign of Dr. Hafeez. Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Khan Buzdar who is also from Saraiki area, has not been assigned any special responsibility for the Senate polls so far other than the general work.

The sources said that Shah Mahmood Qureshi has already started working for Dr. Hafeez Sheikh and he is resisting any role for Jehangir Tarin. Likewise, Federal Minister Asad Umar is also soliciting MNAs for support and has already contacted the MQM leaders for the purpose. He is confident of winning the seat for Dr. Hafeez Sheikh without asking for Tarin’s support. He too is strongly opposed to assigning any special responsibility to Tarin for the objective. *The sources pointed out that Dr. Hafeez Sheikh did approach Jehangir Tarin with request to use his clout for his election as it was a preemptive move.*

Tarin believed to be close to Makhdoom Yusuf Raza Gilani who is the Senate’s candidate of the united opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). It is understood that Dr. Hafeez didn’t take the party leadership into confidence before approaching Tarin. Interestingly members of the Punjab Assembly and National Assembly belonging to South Punjab are being contacted this week by the ruling party’s stalwarts where Governor Chaudhary Sarwar will be present but Jehnagir Tarin hasn’t been asked to join them in canvassing for Dr. Hafeez, the sources pointed out. The sources reminded that Governor Chaudhary Sarwar Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Asad Umar would like to take credit for the campaign of Dr. Hafeez while remaining aversive to any role for Jehangir Tarin who is interested to return to the ruling party fold and regain his former position.

Sources reveal that Jehangir Tarin is also maintaining contacts with the opposition camp quietly, but he hasn’t offered any assurances as far as his support is concerned for Yusuf Raza Gilani. He doesn’t want to be seen in the opposition camp publicly since he and his son, both are booked in criminal cases and he wouldn’t like to invite trouble at this point in time when his health also doesn’t permit him to go for any adventure, the sources added.