LAHORE (Web Desk) – Former Punjab chief minister Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo passed away in Lahore on Tuesday. He was 86.
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A seasoned politician with a career spanning several decades, Wattoo was affiliated with multiple political parties over the years and was known for his political maneuvering across changing power structures. He most recently belonged to the Pakistan Peoples Party and also served as federal minister for Kashmir affairs during the 2008–2013 PPP-led coalition government.
Hailing from Deepalpur in Punjab’s Okara district, Wattoo began his political journey as chairman of the Okara district council in 1983. He was elected to the Punjab Assembly in 1985 and became speaker of the house, a position he would hold multiple times.
In 1988, he was re-elected as an independent MPA and later joined the Nawaz Sharif-led Pakistan Muslim League, then part of the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad. He again served as speaker of the Punjab Assembly. Following the 1993 elections, Wattoo was elected as both MNA and MPA on the IJI platform but chose to retain his provincial seat, becoming speaker for the third consecutive time.
Later in 1993, he successfully moved a vote of no-confidence against the PML-N government of Ghulam Haider Wyne and became Punjab chief minister with the support of the PPP, despite commanding a small group of dissidents.
His relations with the PPP deteriorated in 1995, leading then prime minister Benazir Bhutto to replace him with Arif Nakai as chief minister. The same year, Wattoo formed Pakistan Muslim League–Jinnah after parting ways with his cousin Hamid Nasir Chattha.
In 1996, he was elected to the National Assembly on the PML-Jinnah platform but later faced corruption cases, resulting in his conviction and imprisonment. Due to health issues, he was shifted to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology, where his hospital room was declared a sub-jail for more than two years. He was later acquitted.
Following his release, Wattoo joined Pakistan Muslim League–Quaid during the era of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf and merged his party into PML-Q on Musharraf’s advice.
In the 2008 general elections, Wattoo contested as an independent and won two National Assembly seats from Okara. He later joined the PPP, retained one seat, and facilitated the election of his son Khurram Jehangir on a PPP ticket in a by-election. He was appointed PPP central Punjab president in October 2012.
Wattoo remained known as a shrewd political operator who managed to secure influential roles under nearly every political setup, often surprising allies and rivals alike with his comebacks.
