NA-101 Wazirabad: A cliff-hanger likely

ISLAMABAD: A cliff-hanger looms large on the electoral horizon as Justice (retd) Iftikhar Cheema, recently unseated by the Supreme Court, faces a formidable challenger, a scion of Hamid Nasir Chatha, in the by-election to National Assembly constituency, NA-101 Wazirabad (Gujranwala), on March 22.

This is the first time in the entire political career of an old Leaguer that Chatha has finally read the obituary of the miniature Pakistan Muslim League-Junejo (PML-N), formed in 1986 and named after Mohammad Khan Junejo, and jumped on the bandwagon of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) with the sole objective of buoying up his electoral prospects after successive defeats in his home area. It presents an apt example of realpolitik to which an otherwise decent and principled politician has also fallen prey.

Chatha had won this seat as well as the provincial constituency falling in it more than once. But luck did not favour him for quite some time. Now, he has also preferred to stay on the sidelines while bringing forward his son to the parliamentary politics instead.

In 2013, his son, Muhammad Ahmad, was defeated by Iftikhar Cheema with a big margin of 39,129 votes. On the PML-N ticket, he had secured 60,795 ballots compared to Cheema’s 99,924 votes.

PTI cardholder Shahnawaz Cheema, who had associated himself with this party after leaving the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), was nowhere near the winner and the runner-up with just 11,592 votes, which were even less than the ballots, 13,886, PML-Q ticket representative Sajid Hussain Chatha, a retired bureaucrat, had bagged. A few days back when it became clear that Chatha is going to the PTI, Shahnawaz rushed to the PML-N. His inclusion will obviously help Iftikhar Cheema to some extent.

Hamid Nasir himself contested the 2008 general elections and was routed by Iftikhar Cheema with a lead of 22,979 votes. He had got 48,813 ballots as against 71,792 votes of his rival. PPP nominee Asma Shahnawaz Cheema had secured 37,554 votes.

Hamid Nasir was successful in the 2002 general elections with a margin of only 4,816 votes by getting 69,171 ballots compared to 64,355 votes of PPP’s Asma Shahnawaz. The PML-N and PTI had not fielded their candidates. Thirty-five years ago, Chatha along with Nawaz Sharif and some others were inducted in the martial law cabinet of Lt-Gen Ghulam Jilani Khan in Punjab. Both had contested the 1985 non-party elections and won. As time passed by, Nawaz Sharif left Chatha far behind in politics.

While Nawaz Sharif was the Punjab chief minister, Chatha was not only a key minister in the Junejo cabinet but his close confidante, and used to play a major role in the government.

The level of confidence that the premier had in him was  reflected when Junejo preferred to elect him speaker of the National Assembly in place of the defiant, Syed Fakhr Imam. In the power tussle within that League and during its split into PML-N and PML-J, Chatha had openly sided with Junejo against Nawaz Sharif.

After his retirement as judge of the Lahore High Court, Iftikhar Cheema took a plunge into politics on expiry of his two-year mandatory ban to vie for an elected office and became affiliated with the PML-N. Since then, he has won NA-101 twice, defeating the Chathas.

All permutations show that the electoral fight will be tough this time and drastically different from the past. Chatha enjoys respect in the constituency. He is a straightforward and no nonsense politician and has no patch on his political career. Apart from the benefit that Chatha will gain in the shape of support of the PTI, this party, which has been desperately in search of winning candidates, has had a good catch that carries a good number of personal votes.  On the other hand, Cheema is also viewed with utmost respect due to his own personality and for his family background. He is the elder brother of retired police officer, Zulfikar Cheema, who made a mark wherever he worked during his service.