Politics

PTI’s Abrar ul Haq to be fielded from Lahore’s NA-117 constituency

Published

12 months ago

Farwa

Haq says he’s likely to contest from NA-117.
PTI has never won from this constituency.
He has begun campaigning for polls alongside provincial ticket-holders.

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf’s (PTI) leader and renowned singer Abrar ul Haq will be fielded by the party in Lahore’s Shahdara area, while his brother Major (retd) Israr ul Haq will be put up against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Ahsan Iqbal in Narowal.

The singer-cum-politician has already begun his election campaign and is addressing rallies along with two ticket-holders for the provincial assembly under NA-117, Lahore 1.

This seat, ever since PTIcontested elections here in 1997, has never been won by the party’s fielded candidates. The constituency has always been claimed by PML-N or its allies, except for the years 1970 and 1977 when Pakistan Peoples Party’s SM Masood and Sher Muhammad Bhatti won.

The constituency covers areas including the entire Shahdara and the population living close to the Ravi bed and the entire Badami Bagh, Siddiqia Colony, etc.

The party, led by Chairman Imran Khan, has decided to field Haq from this seat and with the consent of the party’s high command, he has also kick-started his campaign here.

Even if the elections for the NA and provinces are held after three to four months, a good fight is expected this time between the PML-N and PTI.

When contacted, Haq told The News that he was likely to contest from NA-117, Lahore; whereas his brother might get fielded from Narowal. In 2013 and 2018, Haq had contested two NA polls from Narowal but both times, PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal bagged victory.

Electoral history of NA-117

In 1985, in the non-party basis elections, Pir Muhammad Ashraf won from here while defeating Khawaja Tariq Rahim. In 1988, Pakistan Awami Ittehad’s (PAI) General (retd) MH Ansari won this seat against PPP’s Sheikh Rafique. Islami Jamhuri Ittehad (IJI) or its main component Muslim League had not fielded any candidate which benefitted General Ansari. In 1990’s general elections, it was IJI’s Humayun Akhtar Khan who won from here with a significant lead against PPP’s Sheikh Rafique.

In the 1993 elections, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif contested from this constituency and won comfortably against PPP’s Haji Aziz ur Rehman Chan. In the 1993 by-polls, it was Nawaz’s brother Abbas Sharif who won after a close fight with a PPP candidate.

In 1997, PML-N fielded Mian Azhar on this seat which he won with a big margin against Pakistan Muslim League-Junejo’s (PML-J) Mian Ahmed Mehmood. Between 1988 to 1997, this constituency was NA-92.

In the 2002 elections, Hafiz Salman Butt, a candidate of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) backed by PML-N won defeating the then Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s (PML-Q) head Mian Azhar.

Butt contested the polls as an independent candidate as Muttahida Majlis–e–Amal (MMA) had also fielded its candidate Hafiz Abdul Wadood Shahid.

The constituency by then had become NA-118.

In the 2008 elections, former PML-N MPA Malik Riaz was fielded from this area and won by a big margin. In the 2013 and 2018 polls, PML-N’s Riaz once again claimed victory, but PTI candidates were in the second spot.

Latest News

Nawaz Sharif departs for a five-day personal visit to China.

Published

8 hours ago

Farwa

Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and a former prime minister, departed for China on Monday night for a five-day private visit.

Nawaz Sharif is visiting China, escorted by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

Nawaz Sharif reportedly planned to see Chinese company owners as well as discuss the Punjab province’s development projects. During his visit in China, he will also have a medical examination.

In addition, the fact that Nawaz and his party chose China for his first overseas trip after he returned to Pakistan in October of last year shows how much weight the Asian superpower holds.

Eight other Chinese companies were reportedly prepared to start working right away, while 16 Chinese companies had expressed interest in the Nawaz Sharif IT City, which is the brainchild of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, who has plans for similar projects in all of the province’s major cities.

Remarkably, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s scheduled visit to China ahead of his anticipated talks with Chinese authorities next month coincides with the elder Sharif’s visit.

Dar’s presence alongside Nawaz simultaneously underscores the party leadership’s confidence in him and serves as a reminder of why he was chosen to be foreign minister.

The fact that this visit was organized in the wake of the recent terror assault in Shangla on Chinese engineers involved in the Dasu hydroelectric Project, however, may provide some insight into the significance of this visit.

That was followed by Pakistan’s resolute pledge to deal harshly with those groups that have been attacking Chinese citizens in an effort to undermine the cordial relations between the two countries.

Latest News

The creation of a provincial enforcement authority is approved by the PunjabCM.

Published

9 hours ago

Farwa

The creation of a provincial enforcement authority in Punjab has received clearance from Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the chief minister of Punjab.

District and tehsil-level provincial enforcement authority was presented to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz during a meeting that she convened.

Maryam gave her approval for the authority to be established and gave the order to begin the legislative procedure right now.

In every district and tehsil in Punjab, she stated, enforcement authorities will be constituted. According to her, a director-general will be appointed in addition to the chief secretary leading the provincial enforcement authority.

The deputy commissioner will lead the district enforcement authority, while the assistant commissioner will lead the tehsil enforcement authority.

Tasks specific to encroachments on government lands will be carried out by enforcement agencies. Additionally, the authority will have the ability to investigate and prosecute cases of overpricing, hoarding, and encroachment on government territory.

The tehsil enforcement unit will oversee the establishment of a police station and special force at the tehsil level. To be appointed in the tehsil enforcement authority are a unit in command, investigation officers, enforcement officers, and constables.

In addition to carrying out legal duties, the tehsil enforcement unit will be able to file charges, conduct investigations, and make arrests. Additionally, for monitoring purposes, the offices of the district and provincial enforcement authorities will be set up.

In six months, the province’s enforcement agencies are to be activated, under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s directive.

Latest News

PTI announces a public meeting in Karachi.

Published

9 hours ago

Farwa

Haleem Adil Sheikh said in a statement released here that the decision to reschedule the public event was made during the party’s political committee meeting. He said that instead of being conducted on April 28, the PTI’s public meeting would now take place on May 5 next to Quaid-e-Azam’s mausoleum.

According to the head of PTI Sindh, his party had asked the Deputy Commissioner East for permission to hold the meeting.

He claimed that the PTI filed a lawsuit in the Sindh High Court after the administration refused to grant them a certificate of non-objection. The hearing for their case is scheduled for April 26, according to Haleem Adil Sheikh.

The PTI Sindh head stated, “Hopefully, we will receive permission from the SHC to hold a Jalsa (public gathering) in Karachi.”

He said that the PTI’s popularity is the reason the Sindh administration is “afraid” and that’s why they haven’t received clearance from the provincial government.

In response to allegations of election tampering and mandate theft in the general elections, the PTI declared a nationwide protest.