GUJRAT: Gojra town of Mandi Bahauddin is likely to get tehsil status after bifurcation of Malakwal tehsil as the Punjab chief minister office has sought a feasibility report from the senior member Board of Revenue as well as district administration of Mandi Bahauddin. The district currently comprises three tehsils -- Mandi Bahauddin, Phalia and Malakwal.

According to official sources, Gojra is currently part of Malakwal tehsil but the proposed boundary of the new tehsil may also include some patwar circles of Phalia and Mandi Bahauddin tehsils. The proposed limit of the new tehsil is yet to be defined by the local land revenue department.

Mandi Deputy Commissioner Tasneem Ahmed told Dawn by phone that the concerned officials were busy in preparing the proposed limits of the new tehsil.

Sources in PML-Q said party leader MNA Moonis Elahi might contest the next general elections against a National Assembly seat of Mandi Bahauddin as well as from his Gujrat hometown seat of NA-69.

Moonis may run for NA seat from the district

Gojra has also been a part of PP-67, the constituency of Q’s parliamentary leader in Punjab Assembly Sajid Ahmed Bhatti who won 2018 elections as an independent candidate and later joined the PML-Q. MPA Bhatti is a nephew of Muhammad Khan Bhatti, the principal secretary to the Punjab CM.

Parvez Elahi and Moonis Elahi had won PP-67 in 2008 and 2013, respectively, but both had then vacated it to retain their seats from Attock and Gujrat, respectively.

Some mega uplift schemes have already been launched by the Punjab government in Mandi Bahauddin district.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2022