MANY known political families in Gujranwala are facing uncertain future with several new faces emerging for the upcoming general election. It is the graduation condition that is responsible for the disqualification of some known names, but they are still trying to stay in the limelight by fielding their sons and relatives.

There are seven national and 14 provincial assembly seats in Gujranwala where the old and new faces are contesting.

The tendency of some known figures to stay away from people and remain indifferent to political changes has helped many families having no political background enter the arena.

Aslam Lone, Mehr Saleem and Haji Amanullah families have almost been wiped out of the political map whereas Dastagir Khan, Arqam Khan, Ghulam Sarwar Cheema, Hamid Nasir Chattha and Khalid Humayun families are facing a tough time ahead.

The Aslam Lone family of PPP has been out of contention for the last two elections and is not in the race even now after they have been denied the PPP ticket.

After the death of Haji Amanullah (PPP), his family joined the PML-Q in 2000 local election but gradually found itself out of the political map. The Mehr Saleem family settled abroad after the nomination of Mehr Saleem in the Khalid Humayun murder case in 2002 and his wife faced defeat in the 2002 election.

Khurram Dastagir of Dastagir Khan family (PML-N) bagged third position in the 2002 election and is contesting against the PPP’s Khwaja Muhammad Saleh and JUI-F’s Qazi Hameedullah who has the support of Q league as well.

Asim Khan family (PPP) had been losing in the last two elections and is now contesting from PP-98 –- a constituency having no Khan clan votes.

Chaudhry Imranullah, a cousin of Khalid Humayun, won the 2002 election but soon after Humayun’s murder the same year, changed the party. Khalid Humayun’s another cousin, Zeeshan Illyas, is trying his luck this time round, though the family is seeing no political future.

Ghulam Sarwar Cheema, one of the main leaders of the PML-Q, did not get ticket from the party and now his son, Gauhar Sarwar Cheema, is contesting as an independent candidate against Hamid Nasir Chattha and Asma Shahnawaz Cheema.

Mr Chattha (Q League) has the edge of support from rural areas and he never got lead from Wazirabad city. In 2002, Asma Shahnawaz gave him a very tough time. Now his two political companions, Chaudhry Shaukat Hayat Chattha and Shaukat Manzoor Cheema, are contesting against him from PP-103 and PP-104, respectively, on the PML-N platform. They are also supporting a newcomer, Justice Iftikhar Ahmad Cheema (retired) of PML-N for NA-101 against Mr Chattha.

As things stand, Hamid Chattha is in for trouble as the margin from Wazirabad city will be crucial.

Khurram Dastagir, son of PML-N central chief organiser (Punjab) Khan Dastagir Khan (NA-96), Asma Shahnawaz of PPP (NA-101), Gauhar Cheema (independent candidate for NA-101 and PP-104), Saeed Mughal of PML-N (PP-94), Dr Sohail Zafar Cheema of PML-Q (PP-99), Asif Iqbal of PML-Q (PP-92), Shazia Ashraf Mattu of PML-N (PP-95), Tariq Ali Chaudhry of PPP (PP-94), Rana Umar Nazir of PML-N (PP-100), Imran Khalid Butt of PML-N (PP-91), Shumaila Liaquat of PPP (PP-97), Saud Dar of PPP (PP-95), Chaudhry Nasir Cheema of PML-Q (PP-97), Irfan Bashir Gujjar of PML-Q (PP-102), Arqam Khan of PPP (PP-98) and Amir Farooq Khan of PML-Q (PP-91) are striving for retaining the political status of their families.

Among them, Khurram Dastagir, Asma Shahnawaz, Saud Dar and Arqam Khan faced defeat in the 2002 election, Dr Sohail Zafar Cheema and Rana Umar Nazir won the polls and Asif Iqbal, Irfan Bashir Gujjar, Shumaila Liaquat and Amir Farooq Khan are making debut.

Ashraf Kamboh, Manj and Iftikhar Cheema families are relatively new names. Ashraf Kamboh won the 2002 election on the PPP platform (PP-91) and joined the PML-Q. Now he is contesting as an independent candidate from NA-95 and PP-91.

Zuhair Zia Manj, son of Ziaul Hassan Manj (Sindh IGP), is in the race for PP-101 as an independent candidate after he had been denied ticket by the PPP.

Iftikhar Cheema is getting benefit of the PML-N, support of Chattha and Cheema families and the goodwill of Pakistani judges (as goes the slogan of Nawaz Sharif) in NA-101.

Three industrialists are in the run. Saeed Mughal of PML-N and Rana Faisal Rauf of PPP are new faces whereas Ashraf Butt is the winner of the last by-election from PP-96. Rana Faisal intends to regain the political stance which his family had decades ago.