LAHORE: Nominated as PTI’s candidate for the Punjab chief minister office, Mian Aslam Iqbal is a vocal and loyal leader of the party.

Elected from PP-171 (Lahore), Mr Iqbal has been in hiding following the May 9 violence but maintained contacts with his voters through social media.

Holding a post-graduation degree from the Quaid-i-Azam University, Mr Iqbal is respected by his voters who have sent him to the Punjab Assembly for the fourth time. He had made his maiden entry into the assembly as an independent candidate in 2002-2007. He lost the 2008 election from the PML-Q platform. Later, he joined the PTI and won in 2013, 2018 and 2024.

He served as minister for the industries, commerce, investment and skills development. Later he was made senior minister in the Usman Buzdar cabinet. He remained quite close to PTI founder chairman Imran Khan.In the 2013-2018 Punjab Assembly, he would come to the house well-prepared to take the treasury benches head on.

Before the government formation in 2018, Iqbal was also tipped as a Punjab chief minister candidate alongside Abdul Aleem Khan but Imran Khan installed Usman Buzdar, whom he (Iqbal) defended wholeheartedly.

When disgruntled party leaders left the PTI, Aslam Iqbal could not be lured by rival parties, including IPP.

Facing cases in the May 9 arson attacks, Iqbal contested the election while in hiding and defeated PML-N candidate by securing 61,847 votes against his opponent’s 36,955.

As the day for taking oath in the Punjab Assembly is approaching, the Anti-Terrorism Court has approved the attachment of moveable and immovable properties of seven PTI leaders, including Mian Aslam Iqbal.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2024