PAKISTAN will never get freedom from Makhdooms, Shahs

President’s Hala visit to benefit Makhdooms From the Newspaper | 7 hours ago HYDERABAD, Dec 25: President Asif Ali Zardari’s visit to Hala on Tuesday may politically benefit the Makhdooms, put into an uncomfortable position by their allies by forming a local political alliance. In his first visit to the Makhdooms house in Hala on Tuesday, he spoke to a gathering of notables, including local politicians, parliamentarians of the Pakistan People’s Party, ministers Naveed Qamar, Pir Mazharul Haque and Syed Murad Ali Shah. He praised the Makhdooms in the light of their long association with the PPP since their father, Makhdoom Mohamm-ad Zaman Talibul Maula, joined the PPP. He said Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Amin Fahim’s son Jamiluz-zaman would together serve the people of Hala. He said the PPP would get votes on the basis of its performance. Host Amin Fahim, his brother Dr Rafiquzzaman and Jamiluz-zaman were also present. Mr Fahim had reached Hala on Monday night. It was his first appearance in his hometown after the formation of the Awami Ittehad Alliance, formed recently against the Makhdooms by local politicians associated with the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional and other parties. A 30-member delegation of notables and local politicians also called on the president. They included Sajjadanasheen of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai’s shrine Syed Nisar Hussain Shah. It is also learnt that former PML-F MPA Jalal Shah Jamote announced joining the PPP in the president’s presence. Dada Hashim Samoon – who has joined the Awami Ittehad Matiari – also announced his support for the Makhdooms. Others who announced their support for them included Jiandal Shah, a relative of Syed Shah Mohammad Shah, senior vice president of the Sindh United Party. SUP local leaders are also part of the alliance. Likewise, Sarfaraz Rahu, son of Nazeer Rahu, a close aide of Amin Fahim, attended the lunch though his father did not. “Our alliance is intact,” says Mohammad Ali Shah Jamote, convener of the alliance. According to him, Dada Hashim Samoon was pressured by Hyderabad SSP Farid Jan Sarhandi to announce his support for the Makhdooms. “He did it accordingly as he had no other option,” he adds. He says Jalal Shah Jamote joined the PPP considering that he would contest for PS-44, which Jalal Shah had won in 2002. Raees Nazeer Rahu, Raees Ali Ahmed Nizamani, once trusted men of the Makhdooms, did not attend the function.—Staff Correspondent ================ Politicking: Gohar Ayub, son to join PML-N this week By Muhammad Saqadat Published: December 26, 2012 Despite being one of the few close aides of Nawaz Sharif, Gohar parted ways when he was jailed and exiled. HARIPUR: Former national assembly speaker Gohar Ayub Khan and his son Omar Ayub have finalised a date to formally join the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N). Omar said on Tuesday that they would formally be announcing their move on December 27 at a press conference in Raiwand. He also said that Raja Faisal Zaman, the son of late Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) senior minister Raja Sikandar Zaman, would also be joining the PML-N. Youngest son of Field Marshal Ayub Khan, Gohar won elections through the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) when the Islami Jamroohi Ittehad (IJI) came to power after controversial elections. Gohar, being a close associate of Nawaz Sharif, was then elected as the Speaker of the National Assembly. From 1993-1997 he served as Deputy Opposition Leader during the second tenure of the late Benazir Bhutto-led PPP government. He was then appointed the foreign minister in Nawaz Sharif’s cabinet after the 1997 elections, but was removed from the position by General (Retd.) Pervez Musharraf in October 1999. Despite being one of the few close aides of Nawaz Sharif, Gohar parted ways when he was jailed and exiled. He later joined the Pakistan Muslim League – Quaid (PML-Q) and fielded his son Omar on a PML-Q ticket in NA-19 Haripur as he did not have a bachelor’s degree at the time. Omar, although a political novice, defeated Pir Sabir Shah, the sitting provincial president of PML-N with a heavy margin and was chosen as minister of state for finance in the cabinet of then-prime minister Shaukat Aziz. However, the changing political dynamics eventually cost Omar his family seat during the 2008 elections and he lost to PML-N candidate Sardar Mushtaq Khan with a margin of over 40,000 votes, coming third. Both father and son continued to remain affiliated with the PML-Q that eventually divided into two more factions and being close relatives of the head of the PML-Q (Likeminded), Salim Saifullah Khan, jumped into his boat. About three months ago, when the leadership of PML-Q (Likeminded) and PML-N agreed on a seat adjustment and announced Omar as joint candidate for the next elections, the sitting MNA Sardar Mushtaq said he would join the Pakistan Peoples Party instead. This cleared obstacles that Omar and his father faced. They also convinced Nawaz Sharif to soften his stance on accepting those who left the party at earlier dates. Sources say that the PML-N chief had no other option but to accept Omar as he has no electable candidate for NA-19 after the defection of Sardar Mushtaq to PPP. It has yet to be seen how effective Omar will prove for Nawaz Sharif as Dr Raja Amer Zaman, the elder son of late Raja Sikandar Zaman, is also considered as strong candidate from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. Although it has yet to be seen if the PML-N can win the seats required for forming the next government, Nawaz Sharif’s ‘backtracking’ from his previous stand of not accepting those who had abandoned him indicates that he is to win maximum seats. Published in The Express Tribune, December 26th, 2012. ===========