SAHIWAL: Sardar Mansab Ali Dogar, former member of parliament and senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz from Pakpattan, has joined the Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf.

This is the end of Dogar`s 30-year long political association with the Sharifs. He has a long list of grievances but the PML-N high command is not responsive, especially during and after the 2018 general election. This led Sardar Mansab Ali Dogar to leave the PML-N and start a new bond with the PTI.

He met Imran Khan in Lahoreon Tuesday and joined the PTI.

Dogar was awarded NA and PA tickets simultaneously in 2018 general election but at the eleventh hour his NA nomination was withdrawn by the party high command which obliged new-entrant Ahmed Raza Manika, former brotherin-law of Bushra Bibi, the wife of PTI chief Imran Khan.

Ahmed Raza Manika was PTI`s district president when Bushra married Imran Khan after getting divorce from Khawar Fareed Manika, elder brother of Ahmed Raza.

When the PML-N awarded ticket to Raza Manika, in reaction Sardar Mansab also returned PA ticket awarded tohis nephew, Waqas Amjad Dogar.

He contested the 2018 election as an independent candidate from NA-145 and bagged 32,491 votes but lost to Ahmed Raza Manika.

Sardar Mansab Dogar joined the PML-N in 1990. During his 30-year association, he remained loyal to the Sharifs.

Even when Gen Musharraf ruled the country and gave tough time to the PML-N, Dogar remained loyal to the Sharifs.

In 1997, he was awarded PA ticket first time but at that time Mian Mahmood Ahmed and Raja Shahid Saeed Khan convinced Nawaz Sharif and snatched his ticket and handed it over to Pir Muhammad ShahKhagga.

On Shahbaz Sharif`s nod, he contested election as an independent candidate and won 1997 ballot by defeating Muhammad Shah Khagga.

In 2008, he won both NA and PA seats by defeating Muhammad Shah Khagga and Amjad Joya of PTI, respectively.

Because of his services to the party, he was made district PML-N president. He remained party president for 10 years and later the party command made Mian Noor Samand Bhandara the district president. This was first blow to Dogar. Later he was disowned by the party high command on several occasions.When Maryam Nawaz launched workers` conventions in Punjab recently, it was decided by party`s high command that she would develop contacts with those parliamentarians who had been sidelined or had some grievances with the party. But during her two-day stay in Sahiwal on Feb 27 and 28, she did not call on Dogar to listen to his grievances.

Talking to Dawn, Dogar said: `I gave 30 years to the party and not a single leader called on me to listen to my grievances.

Now I have no choice but to shift my loyalties,` he added.

It is learnt the PTI high command has assured Dogar that he will get PP-191.