LAHORE:
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leadership was left fuming after losing the only National Assembly seat it had secured from Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) under a runner-up formula for Sunday’s by-elections in Dera Ghazi Khan.
The PPP had reportedly left the field open for ruling party candidates in an apparent effort to maintain goodwill with the PML-N, expecting the gesture to be reciprocated by allowing PPP candidates to contest seats as per an agreed share.
Despite inviting applications for tickets and informing local leadership that no compromises would be made to skip the elections, PPP failed to secure a victory for its candidate Dost Muhammad Khosa, who faced PML-N-backed yet independent candidate Mehmood Qadir.
Qadir nearly quadrupled his vote tally, a surge that confounded local analysts, with some attributing the win to what they called a ‘divine hand.’ Khosa also almost doubled his votes, largely attributed to the shift of pro-PTI voters in his favour.
Khosa and the local PPP chapter have alleged rigging, while also expressing frustration with the party leadership for abandoning the constituency during the campaign.
Shibli Shahabkhez Ghori publicly censured PPP leadership for their absence, contrasting it with the active support PML-N candidate received from federal ministers.
Former prime minister and PPP Central Punjab President Raja Pervez Sharif also voiced serious concern over Khosa’s allegations in NA-185, noting that there was an understanding between the two parties that runner-up candidates would be supported mutually. He said the PML-N failed to honour this agreement in Dera Ghazi Khan.
“Khosa’s allegations are serious,” he said, questioning why such a situation arose despite PPP being a government ally. He urged the Chief Election Commissioner to take notice and conduct a transparent and impartial investigation.
The by-elections elsewhere largely followed the agreed arrangement, with PML-N candidates ensuring independent challengers withdrew when necessary. In Dera Ghazi Khan, however, the PML-N did not request its backed candidate to step aside, although it had initially withdrawn its own party ticket as part of the arrangement. The promise, it seems, was only partially fulfilled, leaving the PPP isolated in the contest.
