MUZAFFARGARH: Two women have made it to the parliament for the first time from Kot Addu and Layyah districts, where they will represent their constituents. However, the Muzaffargarh district failed to elect any female candidate, Dawn has learnt.

From Layyah district, a candidate backed by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), Ambar Majeed Niazi, the wife of former MNA Abdul Majeed Niazi, clinched the MNA seat from NA-181. She contested her maiden election after rejection of nomination papers of her husband. She also faced initial rejection of her nomination papers by the returning officers (ROs), which were later approved by the LHC, Multan bench.

Despite her husband’s absence from public campaigning due to police raids, their son Abdul Raheem Niazi stepped in to support and campaign for his mother.

In PP-275, PTI candidate Nadia Farooq Khar secured victory in her first provincial election, becoming the sole representative from Muzaffargarh and Kot Addu districts in the Punjab assembly.

However, Khar faced numerous challenges during her campaign, with reports of threats to her supporters and voters by local authorities and influential families. Despite these obstacles, she emerged triumphant.

Meanwhile, in Muzaffargarh district, female candidates faced defeat, including PML-N’s Syeda Shehr Bano Bukhari, daughter of the late Syed Basit Sultan Bukhari, a former MNA.

Her sister Syeda Mah Bukhari, a foreign graduate, gained public attention for her active involvement in the campaign and her title Dada ki Poti (grandfather’s granddaughter) was a hit on the social media, remembering her grandfather (late) Syed Abdullah Shah Bukhari, a prominent figure in Muzaffargarh district.

Syeda Shehr Bano Bukhari lost to PTI candidate Sardar Moazzam Khan Jatoi in her first electoral bid, as voters recalled her father’s opposition to then prime minister Imran Khan during no-confidence motion.

Ms. Zahra Bukhari, contesting from a PML-N ticket, and independent candidate Shaista Kanwal Qureshi in NA-175 also faced defeat, with PTI candidate Jamshed Dasti emerging victorious. Zahra is wife of Basit Bukhari.

There is a likelihood that due to growing awareness and education among women, Muzaffargarh district will witness increase in the number of female candidates in the future.

Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2024