SIALKOT: The award of tickets by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for the constituencies in the district shows it has gone for the tried and tested and ‘family politics’.

No candidate belonging to the middle class has got the PML-N ticket for any constituency in Sialkot.

It has awarded tickets to Chaudhry Armaghan Subhani in NA-72 (Sialkot-I), Khwaja Muhammad Asif (NA-73, Sialkot-II), Ali Zahid Hamid (NA-74, Sialkot-III), Syed Iftikharul Hassan Shah (NA-75, Sialkot-IV) and Rana Shamim Ahmed (NA-76, Sialkot-V). Four of them had remained MNAs whereas a ticket had been awarded to Zahid Hamid’s son Ali Zahid.

The party leaders, however, dropped three former MPAs Muhammad Asif Bajwa (Daska) and Chaudhry Munawar Ali Gill and Rana Liaquat Ali (Pasrur tehsil) and preferred new candidates in their constituencies. Mr Gill and Rana Liaquat had been criticising Zahid Hamid, former federal law minister, after a religious controversy and the PML-N leaders are believed to have sidelined them due to this factor.

Both these dissidents are now contesting polls as independent candidates against Ali Zahid.

Khwaja Asif has not only got a ticket for himself but also managed to have his wife Musarrat Asif Khwaja and niece Shiza Khwaja for the special seats. The former foreign minister is a five-time winner from his constituency. He is also learnt to have helped former MPAs get tickets because of association. The PML-N has awarded ticket to Manshaullah Butt (an ex-provincial minister) for PP-37, Sialkot-III, Chaudhry Muhammad Ikram (PP-36, Sialkot-II) and Chaudhry Arshad Javaid Warraich (PP-44, Sialkot-X).

Former MNA Armaghan Subhani, a Variyo family scion, got the ticket for NA-72, Sialkot-I and also helped his cousin Chaudhry Tariq Akhtar Subhani get the ticket for PP-38, Sialkot-IV.

According to the lists of candidates issued by the PML-N, NA-75, Sialkot-IV candidate Syed Iftikharul Hassan Shah, a former MNA, succeeded in having ticket his son Syed Attaul Hassan Shah for PP-41, Sialkot-VII. Syed Attaul Hassan is new to the field of politics and his electoral constituency consists of mostly rural areas of Daska.

In Daska city’s constituency PP-42, Sialkot-VIII, the PML-N has awarded ticket to Zeeshan Rafiq (a former political adviser to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif). It ignored MPA Muhammad Asif Bajwa while awarding party ticket here.

PML-N candidate in NA-76, Sialkot-V Rana Shamim, an ex-MNA, won a ticket for his son Rana Abdul Sattar who remained an MPA in PP-45, Sialkot-XI.

Former MPA Rana Muhammad Iqbal Harnah’s son Rana Muhammad Arif is in the run for PP-35, Sialkot-I.

Two former MPAs Chaudhry Jamil Ashraf Baryar (who is now vice chairman of Sialkot District Council) and Chaudhry Mohsin Ashraf Baryar, have brought their third brother Chaudhry Naveed Ashraf to the electoral arena (PP-43, Sialkot-IX).

For PP-44, Sialkot-X, the PML-N has again fielded former MPA Chaudhry Arshad Javaid Warraich. He is father of Hina Arshad Warraich (chairperson of Sialkot District Council) who is considered a close associate of Khwaja Asif.

Mirza Altaf Hussain, PML-N Saudi Arab president who enjoys good relations with Nawaz Sharif, is contesting election in PP-39, Sialkot-V). He has been preferred to former MPA Rana Liaquat Ali (the party head in Germany).

CAMPAIGN: The Variyo family began the election campaign for its candidates on Sunday.

More than 2,000 people including local councillors belonging to the villages in the four union councils attended the campaign launched at Variyo House in Cantonment.

Chaudhry Armaghan said July 25 would be a day of victory for the PML-N and people would cast votes on the basis of its performance. He said the government enabled the country to compete with the developed world by eliminating terrorism, unemployment and loadshedding.

Chaudhry Armaghan is contesting polls in NA 72, Sialkot-I where Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan is likely to get the PTI ticket. Chaudhry Tariq Akhtar Subhani (a former MPA) is contesting the general election as PML-N candidate in PP-38, Sialkot-IV.

The family head, Chaudhry Abdul Sattar Variyo, had been a federal minister, the late Akhtar Ali Variyo a provincial minister and his son Khush Akhtar Subhani had also been a provincial minister.

In the 2013 general election, Armaghan won by getting 136,991 votes in the constituency (previously NA-111, Sialkot-II). He had defeated Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan who contested on the PPP ticket and got 51,230 votes. PTI’s Muhammad Ajmal Cheema got 31,099 votes and MQM’s Razia Iqbal chipped in with 603 votes.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2018