FAISALABAD: Several new faces have emerged victorious in the urban and rural area union councils by defeating the scions of the established political families.

Only two members of the political families managed to win seats in the traditional PML-N stronghold.

The PML-N and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) awarded tickets to the scions of politically influential families but they faced a ‘setback’. Among the contenders for union council chairman slot were former district nazim Rana Zahid Touseef, brother of former state minister Rana Asif Touseef, former city nazim Mushtaq Ali Cheema, brother of former federal textile minister Mushtaq Ali Cheema,, Qasim Farooq, son of MNA Mian Farooq, Aamir Sher Ali, brother of State Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali, Junaid Afzal Sahi, son of former Punjab Assembly speaker Afzal Sahi, Malik Riaz and Malik Razzaq, brothers of MPA Nawaz Malik, Taimoor Akhtar, nephew of PML-Q Punjab secretary Chaudhry Zaheeruddin and Shahzad Moazzam, younger brother of PTI office-bearer Asad Moazzam.

Zahid Nazir, elder brother of MNA Asim Nazir, had already been elected unopposed union council chairman.

Defeat of Aamir Sher Ali, Zahid Touseef, Taimoor Azmat, Shahzad Moazzam, Qasim Farooq, MPA Faqir Hussain Dogar’s son and a brother of Malik Nawaz have shocked the families.

Rifts deal a blow to PML-N in Faisalabad

According to unofficial results, Ashiq Rehmani supported by Rana Sanaullah group defeated Aamir Sher Ali in his native union council of Khalidabad with a thin margin. Aamir Sher had served as Faisalabad mayor and his family is considered strong in respect of local politics.

His father Sher Ali launched a ‘Mayor Group’ in Faisalabad with a claim that the parliamentarians had awarded tickets to their blue-eyed people and ignored the old and loyal workers. Owing to differences between Abid and Rana Sana over tickets award, the PML-N left PP-70, a constituency of the law minister, which followed a war of words between the two groups.

Rana Sana said Abid Sher Ali wanted to see his brother Aamir as mayor of Faisalabad but the latter said only the party high command would decide about the candidate for mayor slot. Later, at a public gathering organised by the Mayor Group at Dhobi Ghat ground, Sher Ali hit back at Rana Sanaullah and accused him of damaging the party. He urged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to show Rana Sanaullah door to provide justice to the families of those “killed at Sana’s behest.”

The tussle divided the vote bank of Malik Riaz, brother of Malik Nawaz, in Ghulam Mohammad Abad. A first-timer, Sohail Sajid, fielded by Mayor Group defeated Riaz.

Earlier, Abid Sher Ali had a case registered under terrorism charges against three brothers of Malik Nawaz for firing on a PTI rally led by Sajid. No arrest has been made in this case so far.

Malik Razzaq, another brother of Malik Nawaz, however, won the election.

Qasim Farooq, who had been the district secretary of the PML-N, lost to his uncle Khalid in his native UC in Dijkot. Khalid was fielded by the PTI.

Zahid Touseef was hopeful of winning the district council chairman slot in Khurrianwala’s Lohke union council but the result was disappointing. During Pervez Musharraf’s regime, Touseef won the district nazim slot on the ticket of Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) by defeating Ghulam Rasool Sahi who was fielded by the PML-Q.

Sahi is now an MNA from Jhumrah on PML-N ticket and his nephew Junaid Afzal Sahi has become UC chairman.

Taimoor Azmat lost in Madina Town although his father had served as nazim of this town on the PML-Q ticket and his uncle Zaheeruddin was the provincial communication minister during the same period.

Ali Dogar, son of MPA Faqir Hussain, was defeated by PTI’s Dilshad Sindhu in Malikpur. Similarly, former MPA Asad Moazzam could not save his brother Shahzad from defeat in Madina Town. Rana Israr (PML-N) emerged winner.

A former mayor, Malik Ashraf failed to win in UC 1 of Clock Tower Bazaars and Amin Butt, supported by Rana Sana, beat him.

Meanwhile, both Mayor and Rana Sana groups are claiming success on most seats, however, nothing is clear so far as official results are yet to be announced.

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2015

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