Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo
Encyclopedia
Pakistan Muslim League (Jinnah)
The Pakistan Muslim League was a political party in Pakistan. It was one of the factions of the original Pakistan Muslim League, named after the founder of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah....
and joined Pakistan Peoples Party
Pakistan Peoples Party
The Pakistan Peoples Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International. Pakistan People's Party is the largest political party of Pakistan...
. He has been appointed as the advisor to the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...
Yousaf Raza Gillani
Yousaf Raza Gillani
Yousuf Raza Gilani is the current prime minister of Islamic Republic of Pakistan. He was nominated as Prime Minister by the PPP, with the support of its coalition partners, Pakistan Muslim League , Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and Muttahida Qaumi Movement, on 22 March 2008...
later upgraded to Federal Minister.
Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo was the head of Pakistan Muslim League (Jinnah)
Pakistan Muslim League (Jinnah)
The Pakistan Muslim League was a political party in Pakistan. It was one of the factions of the original Pakistan Muslim League, named after the founder of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah....
political party in Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
. He was first elected, in 1985, the Speaker of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
, the largest province of Pakistan. Thrice elected for the same office, he secured the office of the Chief Minister of Punjab
Chief Minister of Punjab (Pakistan)
The Chief Minister of Punjab is elected by the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab to serve as the head of the provincial government in Punjab, Pakistan. The current Chief Minister is Shahbaz Sharif, who became the Chief Minister of Punjab as being restored after Governor's rule starting from...
in 1993 on the PML (Junejo) ticket after a vote of no-confidence in the Punjab legislature against PML (Nawaz)'s serving chief minister Ghulam Haider Wayne.
After a tug of war between Wattoo and Nawaz Sharif
Nawaz Sharif
Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif is a Pakistani conservative politician and steel magnate who served as 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan in two non-consecutive terms from November 1990 to July 1993, and from February 1997 to October 12, 1999...
, the then restored (by Supreme Court) Prime Minister of Pakistan
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...
and head of the Pakistan Muslim League (N)
Pakistan Muslim League (N)
The Pakistan Muslim League is a conservative political party in Pakistan, affiliated with Western conservatism...
(PML (N)), all assemblies were dissolved and only after a fresh election, Wattoo was elected the Chief Minister of Punjab again on PML (Junejo) ticket, ruling a coalition consisting chiefly of Pakistan Peoples Party
Pakistan Peoples Party
The Pakistan Peoples Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International. Pakistan People's Party is the largest political party of Pakistan...
(PPP), PML (Junejo), minorities, and some independents.
It was in 1995 that Wattoo formed his own PML (Jinnah), when he parted ways with his cousin Hamid Nasir Chattha
Hamid Nasir Chattha
Chaudhry Hamid Nasir Chattha is a politician from Gujranwala, Punjab, Pakistan. He was born on November 15, 1944 at Lahore. Hamid Nasir Chattha is currently a Member of Punjab Assembly, Pakistan after losing in 2008 National Assembly elections. He was previously elected as an MNA in 1985, 1990,...
who wanted to be the president of PML (Junejo)
Pakistan Muslim League (J)
The Pakistan Muslim League was a political party in Pakistan established in 1993. It merged with PML-Q in 2004.It is one of the factions of the original Pakistan Muslim League, named "J" after Junejo...
, which Wattoo was previously a part of. The differences cropped up in the same year when Wattoo was removed as the Punjab Chief Minister
Chief Minister of Punjab (Pakistan)
The Chief Minister of Punjab is elected by the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab to serve as the head of the provincial government in Punjab, Pakistan. The current Chief Minister is Shahbaz Sharif, who became the Chief Minister of Punjab as being restored after Governor's rule starting from...
in the power struggle between the province (headed by PML (Junejo) and the center (headed by rival PPP
Pakistan Peoples Party
The Pakistan Peoples Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International. Pakistan People's Party is the largest political party of Pakistan...
), leading Arif Nakai another PML (Junejo) candidate to be the new Chief Minister.
Painted corrupt by the PPP, PML (N), he was removed from the office of Chief Minister only to be restored to office a year later in 1996 by the High Court. Corruption allegations and court proceedings were started against Wattoo by arch rival and then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of the PML(N), Mian Manzoor Wattoo was sentenced by an Accountability court to more than ten years in imprisonment besides being fined ten million rupees only later to be set aside by the courts in Pakistan.
Amid mounting tensions within his district between his faction and his rival Syed Afzal Ali Gillani, his son Khurram Jahangir Wattoo was elected the Nazim
Nazim
A nazim is the coordinator of cities and towns in Pakistan. Nazim is the title in Urdu of the chief elected official of a local government in Pakistan, such as a district, tehsil, union council, or village council....
of the populous tehsil
Tehsil
A Tehsil or Tahsil/Tahasil , also known as Taluk and Mandal, is an administrative division of some country/countries of South Asia....
of Dipalpur
Dipalpur
Dipalpur is a town in Okara District of the Punjab and headquarters of Depalpur Tehsil, assumed to be largest tehsil of Pakistan. It is situated 25 kilometres from the district capital Okara on a bank of the Beas River in Bari Doab...
. Widely regarded as an astute politician, almost having never miscalculated any political situation besides trying to reconcile with his arch rival Mian Nawaz Sharif, Manzoor Wattoo was initially released on bail later to be exonerated of any wrongdoing. Earlier convictions were set aside and he was allowed to run for any public office.
His daughter Rubina Shaheen Wattoo served as a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan
National Assembly of Pakistan
The National Assembly of Pakistan is the lower house of the bicameral Majlis-e-Shura, which also compromises the President of Pakistan and Senate . The National Assembly and the Senate both convene at Parliament House in Islamabad...
for the PML(Q). He actively began taking part in politics and soon became a close ally of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
. Having merged his political party, Pakistan Muslim League (Jinnah), in to the ruling PML (Q) on presidential advice, he was made the Senior Vice President of the ruling party. His relations with the party's leadership remained sour from the beginning, who tried at marginalizing Wattoo and anyone associated with his person.
Mian Manzoor Wattoo remained part of the ruling PML (Q) until November 2007, despite differences with the party leaders Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and the Punjab Chief Minister, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi
Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi
Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi , is a Pakistani politician. He was the Chief Minister of Pakistan's most populous province, Punjab, from 2002 to 2007. He is a senior leader and Provincial President of Pakistan Muslim League, Punjab....
who suffered heavily under Wattoo's reign in Punjab in 1993-95.
With the upcoming elections Mian Manzoor Wattoo left the PML(Q) due to differences in seat allocations for his constituencies and decided to run as an independent candidate along with the former local PML(Q) branch of Dipalpur.
Mian Manzoor Wattoo announced to join Pakistan Peoples Party on May 29, 2008 along with party members in Islamabad.
Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo served as Federal Minister for Industries & Production in the PPP government of Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and in November 2009, his portfolio was changed and he became Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas.