Former Punjab chief minister and former speaker of the Punjab Assembly Manzoor Wattoo passed away on Tuesday, his family confirmed. He was a seasoned politician whose career spanned several decades and multiple political phases in Pakistan’s turbulent political history.
Born on August 14, 1939, in Okara, Wattoo entered politics in 1983 when he was elected chairman of the Okara District Council. His rise was swift, and in 1985 he became a member of the Punjab Assembly. During the same term, he was elected speaker of the assembly, marking the beginning of his long association with parliamentary leadership.
In 1988, Wattoo returned to the Punjab Assembly as an independent legislator and later joined Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League, which was part of the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad. He was once again elected speaker, a position he retained considerable influence through.
His political standing strengthened further in the 1993 elections when he won seats in both the National Assembly and the Punjab Assembly on the IJI ticket, opting to serve in the provincial legislature and becoming speaker for the third consecutive time.
Later in 1993, Wattoo played a pivotal role in Punjab politics by leading a successful no-confidence motion against the PML-N government of Chief Minister Ghulam Haider Wyne. Backed by the Pakistan Peoples Party, he assumed office as chief minister of Punjab, despite relying on support from a relatively small bloc of dissident lawmakers.
His alliance with the PPP ended in 1995, after which Benazir Bhutto appointed Arif Nakai as Punjab’s chief minister. That year, Wattoo formed the Pakistan Muslim League-Jinnah following internal party disagreements. He later won a National Assembly seat in 1996 but faced corruption charges, leading to a conviction and brief imprisonment.
After being cleared, Wattoo joined the PML-Q during General Pervez Musharraf’s era and merged his faction into the party. Following the 2008 elections, he rejoined the PPP, served as federal minister for Kashmir affairs, and was later appointed PPP president for central Punjab in 2012.
