Daily Times

NA 157 MULTAN

Multan’s newly formed NA-157 makes for an interesting electoral landscape because two of the most influential Pirs of south Punjab are competing against each other in this constituency.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) fielded Zain Qureshi from the constituency whereas Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has given a ticket to Syed Ali Moosa Gillani. Zain Qureshi is the son of Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi who is also the custodian of throne of sufi saint Shan Rukn-ud-din Alam. Syed Ali Moosa Gillani is the son of former Prime Minister Makhdoom Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani, who has close familial links with the shrine of sufi saint Moosa Paak Shaheed. Pirs of Multan and their children are supporting PPP’s candidate but Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s disciples have extended their support to PTI candidate Zain Qureshi.

PML-N has fielded Abdul Ghaffar Dogar for the National Assembly seat. In the 2013 general elections, Malik Abdul Ghaffar Dogar won from this constituency while Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Syed Ali Moosa Gillani stood second and third respectively. Various influential clans including Rana, Baloch, Kharral, Maan, Siyal and Arayin have extended their support to Abdul Ghaffar Doggar.

The constituency itself went through major changes this time due to delimitation. Earlier, this constituency was made up of 5 percent urban area and 95 percent rural area. The newly formed NA-157 (old NA-148) now comprises of 30 percent urban area and 70 percent rural area.

The constituency lies in outskirts of Multan on the boundary of Khanewal and Lodhran. The literacy level of this area is very low. Total registered voters of this constituency are 390725 including 176105 females and 214620 males.

Malik Mazhar Abbas, the sitting MPA, has left PML-N and joined the PTI. He is now contesting polls from PP-218 against his cousin Abbas Raan who has been fielded by PPP. Abbas Raan is the tribal chief of Raan clan settled in Raawan area. PML-N, on the other hand, has fielded Zafar Ahmad Raan from PP-218 and Rana Iqbal Siraj from PP-219. This political divide in Raan Biradri has divided the vote of Raan clan among three main political parties. The estimated vote of Raan clan is 20,000 to 25,000.

Dr. Akhtar Malik, who became MPA during the 2008 elections on PPP’s ticket, has also left PPP to join PTI. He is now contesting from PP-219 against PPP candidate Roy Mansab.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi made special efforts to gain PTI’s ticket for his son. This is the first ever election of Zain Qureshi’s political career. Zain Qureshi, while talking to Daily Times, said that people had tried both PML-N and PPP NA-157 but they had failed to deliver. “This is our ancestral urban seat and my father Shah Mahmood Qureshi has also won from this constituency. The third generation of voters is with us we would clean sweep in the upcoming polls,” he added confidently.

According to Zain Qureshi, only those candidates win who are active on ground. “Candidates who meet people to know their problems are the only ones who win,” he said.

Issues:

NA-157 is one of the most ignored constituencies of Multan. Very little development has occurred in the area in the last 50 years. There are no basic health facilities in this constituency. Two big private hospitals namely Ibn-e-Sina Hospial and Bakhtawar Ameen Hospital were opened to provide medical education and healthcare to the residents. These two private hospitals were started by owners on the invitation of former Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani.

Voters of this area are disappointed with the previous candidates. “They made false promises and completely ruined our economy,” lamented one voter. “We would support those candidates who would ensure construction of roads to reach big markets as the farmers of this area are deprived of basic facilities, “he added.

Voters said that roads were necessary to promote trade. They complained that PML-N candidates and PPP candidates who had won with their votes had promised to establish a NADRA Office and a passport office in the region but nothing had been done in the previous five years.

Many of the voters said that they wanted to try PTI this time and if PTI failed to deliver like the previous candidates, they would elect someone else next time.

The only female torch bearer of PPP in South Punjab

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has fielded only one female candidate Kalsoom Naaz Baloch from south Punjab.

Kalsoom Naaz Baloch is contesting polls in PP- 217 against PTI’s Shah Mahmood Qureshi, PML-N’s Tasneem Kausar and independent candidate Salman Naeem. 38 years old Kalsoom Naaz Baloch has remained an active worker of PPP since the last 20 years and wants to follow in the footsteps of Benazir Bhutto after winning polls.

Kalsoom Naaz Baloch told Daily Times that her manifesto was focused on woman empowerment. She said that she wanted to introduce many other initiatives like Benazir Income Support Card for women empowerment. “In my constituency, women work in fields from dawn to dusk to support their male members, I want to empower such woman to end their dependency on their male counter parts,” said Kalsoom.

Published in Daily Times, July 22^nd 2018.