BAHAWALPUR: Federal Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema on Wednesday sprang a surprise on his opponents in Yazman tehsil by filing his nomination papers from two Punjab Assembly seats -- PP-247 and PP-248.

Tariq Cheema is already a member of the National Assembly from his native Yazman tehsil and is general secretary of PML-Q Shujaat Hussain group from which former Punjab chief minister Parvez Elahi and his son Moonis Elahi have parted ways and joined the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

In the Yazman tehsil’s National Assembly seat, PML-N’s former Senator Saood Majid Chaudhry is his arch rival and he (Saood) is a potential PML-N candidate in the upcoming general election.

It merits mentioning that both former MPAs Dr Muhmmad Afzal and Chaudhry Ehsanul Haque, who earlier belonged to PML-Q during the tenure of former CM Parvez Elahi, and after Elahi was given the slot of PTI president, have also filed their nomination papers respectively from these two constituencies claiming themselves as PTI candidates.

During Parvez Elahi’s tenure as CM, Tariq Cheema, Dr Afzal and Chaudhry Ehsan were part of the PML-Q. Now Dr Afzal and Ehsan stood separated after Elahi joined the PTI.

Besides, ex-MPA Khalid Mahmood Jajja and former senator Saood Majid’s nephew Saad Masood Chaudhry have also filed their nomination papers from these two Punjab Assembly constituencies claiming themselves as the PML-N candidates.

Tariq Cheema’s nomination papers were beyond the expectation of local political circles as the people expected him or his son Wali Dad Cheema as a candidate from his native national assembly seat.

But now with the filing his own nomination papers for the two Punjab Assembly seats, it is likely that Tariq Cheema would field his son Wali Dad from his native NA seat in the upcoming election.

Meanwhile, according to Regional Election Commissioner Bahawalpur Mian Muhammad Shaihd, with the extension of two days for the filing of nomination papers, several new aspirants submitted their candidature to respective returning officers of 10 Punjab assembly seats in Bahawalpur district.

A crowd of candidates desirous of filing their nomination papers was seen in the city’s two PA seats No.253 and 254. They included former ministers, MPAs and MNAs and activists of PTI, PML-N, TLP, PPP, JUI, JI and others including independents in large number.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2023