Okara : Mian Manzoor Wattoo, the former Chief Minister of Punjab and senior leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), passed away on Tuesday after a prolonged illness, according to family sources. The timing and venue for his funeral prayers will be announced later.
Born on August 14, 1939, Wattoo began his political journey in 1983 when he was elected chairman of the Okara District Council. Just two years later, he entered the Punjab Assembly and was appointed its speaker, marking the beginning of his prominent political career.
In 1988, Wattoo returned to the Punjab Assembly as an independent legislator before joining Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (PML), which was part of the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI), and was once again elected speaker.
During the 1993 elections, Wattoo won seats in both the National Assembly and Punjab Assembly on the IJI ticket but chose to serve in the provincial legislature, where he was elected speaker for a third consecutive term.
Later that year, Wattoo led a successful no-confidence motion that ousted Ghulam Haider Wyne’s PML-N government in Punjab. With backing from the PPP, Wattoo became the Chief Minister of Punjab, despite having the support of only a small group of dissenting lawmakers.
Wattoo’s association with the PPP ended in 1995, when Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto appointed Arif Nakai as the new chief minister of Punjab. Wattoo then formed the Pakistan Muslim League-Jinnah (PML-Jinnah) after differences with his cousin Hamid Nasir Chattha, who sought leadership of the PML-Junejo.
In 1996, Wattoo won a National Assembly seat under the PML-Jinnah banner but later faced corruption allegations that led to a brief imprisonment. After being cleared, he joined Pakistan Muslim League–Quaid (PML-Q) during General Pervez Musharraf’s era. Known for his close relationship with Musharraf, Wattoo merged his PML-Jinnah faction into PML-Q on the former president’s advice.
Following the 2008 general elections, Wattoo contested as an independent candidate and won two National Assembly seats in Okara. He later rejoined the PPP, retaining one seat while his son, Khurram Jehangir, secured the other in a by-election on a PPP ticket.
In October 2012, he was appointed PPP Central Punjab President. Wattoo also served as the Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs during the PPP-led government from 2008 to 2013.
