Politics in Chakwal hinges on considerations of biradri (clan) and sectarian affiliation. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has held sway here since 1985, its sole challenger being Sardar Ghulam Abbas. This time, though, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has also emerged as a contender for power. As Chakwal has the second highest literacy rate in Punjab, the PTI may benefit from this factor. Chakwal district has two national (NA-60 and NA-61) and four (PP-20 to PP-23) seats.
On NA-60, the PML N’s retired Lt-Gen Abdul Majeed Malik has been elected MNA five consecutive times. In the 2002 elections, while the PML-N lost the seat, Gen Majeed did not as his nephew, retired Major Tahir Iqbal went to the National Assembly on the PML-Q’s ticket; Gen Majeed joined the PML-Q after Nawaz Sharif left for Saudi Arabia. During those elections, the PML-N also lost on PP-20 and PP-21, which were clinched by the PML-Q’s Chaudhry Ejaz Hussain Farhat and Tanvir Aslam Awan, respectively. Like Gen Majeed, Tanvir Aslam Awan and his father Muhammad Aslam Sethi joined the PML-Q bandwagon.
But in 2008, Gen Majeed and Aslam Sethi returned to their old party; the PML-N regained NA-60 and both its provincial constituencies as its candidate Ayaz Amir secured 125,437 votes against his rival Sardar Nawab Khan’s 91,225. Sardar Ghulam Abbas did not contest because of the graduation degree requirement, and fielded his elder brother Sardar Nawab Khan.
PP-20: Chaudhry Liaquat Ali Khan of the PML-N has been elected MPA five consecutive times since 1985, except in 2002 when Chaudhry Ejaz Hussain Farhat of the PML-Q won. In 2008, the graduation degree condition prevented Chaudhry Liaquat from contesting and he fielded his wife Iffat Liaquat Ali, who defeated the PML-Q’s Ejaz Hussain Farhat and the PPP’s Shahjahan Sarfraz Raja.
PP-21: The PML-N’s Tanvir Aslam Malik won this seat against Pir Shaukat Hussain Shah of the PML-Q.
NA-61 is also considered a PML-N stronghold; politics circles around the town of Tamman. Sardar Mansoor Hayat Tamman has been the PML-N MNA thrice while in 2002, Sardar Mohammad Faiz Tamman was elected as an independent candidate and later joined the PML-Q.Sardar Mumtaz Tamman was elected in 1993 on a PPP ticket.
When the PML-Q came into power under the shadow of Gen Musharraf, luck smiled on Talagang as its son Hafiz Ammar Yasir had not just been a class fellow of Chaudhry Rasikh Elahi (the younger son of Chaudhry Pervez Elahi) but was also a business partner of the Chaudhrys of Gujrat. Uplift projects won support for the PML-Q, which decided to field Chaudhry Pervez Elahi against Sardar Faiz Tamman in 2008.The latter, a PML-Q MNA, joined the PML-N when his party denied him a ticket. Faiz Tamman defeated Pervez Elahi in a close contest, and this time Faiz Tamman has announced his support for Pervez Elahi.
PP-22: Sardar Khurram Nawab of the PML-Q got a seat in the Punjab Assembly in the last elections, beating rivals Pir Nisar Qasim of the PML-N and independent candidate Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan.
PP-23: Malik Mohammad Zahoor Anwar Awan of the PML-Q won from this constituency last time over retired Col Sultan Surkhru Awan of the PML-N and the PPP’s Sardar Maqsood Hayat Tamman.
A major contestant is Sardar Ghulam Abbas, who is contesting elections from NA-60 and PP-22 and enjoys the support of the PML-Q. He, the PTI’s Raja Yassir Humayun Sarfraz and the PPP’s Raja Sanaul Haq may give a tough time to the PML-N’s retired Major Tahir Iqbal in NA-60.
In PP-20, a tight contest is expected between the PML-N’s Chaudhry Liaquat Ali, the PTI’s Chaudhry Ali Nasir Khan Bhatti, the PPP’s Shahjahan Sarfaraz and Chaudhry Ejaz Hussain Farhat of the Sardar Abbas group.
PP-21 is also going to face a tough fight between the PML-N’s Tanvir Aslam Malik and the PTI’s Pir Shaukat Hussain Shah.
NA-61 will see a pitched battle between the PML-N’s Sardar Mumtaz Tamman, the PML-Q’s Chaudhry Pervez Elahi and the PTI’s Sardar Mansoor Hayat Tamman. On PP-22, the fight would be among the PML-N’s Sardar Zulifqar Ali Khan, Sardar Ghulam Abbas and the PTI’s Pir Nisar Qasim.
PP-23 expects a tough fight between Zahoor Anwar Awan of the PML-N and the PTI’s retired Col Sultan Surkhru.