SWABI: Asad Qaiser, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s nominee for the slot of National Assembly speaker, was a dazzling player of hockey and volleyball during his student life, but now it will be a totally different ball game for him in the corridors of power while facing hostile opposition.

Mr Qaiser, who remained speaker of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly during the previous PTI-led government in the province, has won the July 25 election from NA-18, Swabi-I, and PK-44, Swabi-II. He had also won the 2013 general elections from two constituencies.

He belongs to Marghuz village and graduated from the postgraduate college, Swabi. One of the key former Pasban leaders Mr Qaiser also served on different positions in Shabab-i-Milli Pakistan and Jamaat-i-Islami.He has been known as the pioneer of private schools in the district.

Owner of Quaid-i-Azam Group of Schools, Mr Qaiser said adieu to JI and joined PTI in 1996. He was nominated as district president of the party the same year, but he fixed his eyes on the provincial president slot and was finally installed as provincial president of PTI in 2008 by party chairman Imran Khan.

In Marghuz village his friends knew him as a man who never loses temper. One of his former school classmates, Aurangzeb, said: “Asad Qaiser was a dazzling player of hockey and volleyball. He loved to play hockey. In our school team, he would play as right-out. He would play main role in the team’s victory, especially in the big matches.”

However, his friends say that politics is a totally different ball game and Mr Qaiser would face the strong and experienced leaders of opposition political parties.

Mohammad Jamil advocate, who remained district naib nazim, said that Mr Qaisar sometimes stuck to his ideas and imposed his decision on others, but as a speaker he should not cross the constitutional parameters while handling affairs of the assembly and running its business.

Observers here said that the reason Mr Qaiser had joined PTI was that he was not given due place in other political parties. After his July 25 victory, he had set his eyes on the chief minister’s slot, but PTI needs him to have strong government in the centre.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2018