NA-154—a battleground of influential families

LAHORE: Dynastic politics have been the hallmark of NA-154 where PML-N has emerged victorious once again after winning the seat in 2013 general elections.

In the by polls held in NA-154, Lodhran following the disqualification of the PTI Secretary General Jehangir Khan Tareen, PML-N candidate Pir Iqbal Shah won the seat after bagging 1,13827 votes. Ali Khan Tareen, son of Jehangir Khan Tareen, who was pitched as the PTI candidate stood at number two position with around 87,000 votes followed by Tehreek e Labbaik Ya Rasool Ullah (PBUH) backed candidate Azhar Sandhela who got around 11,000 votes.

Mirza Ali Baig, PPP candidate, could get only 3,762 votes and stood at number four. PTI came under vehement criticism after Ali Tareen, son of Jehangir Khan Tareen, was pitched from this seat following the disqualification of party’s Secretary General who had won this seat in 2015 by-polls amid allegations of massive usage of money.

Imran Khan came under fire from his critics, particularly on social media where he was slammed for his dual stance regarding dynasty politics, whom he has been opposing throughout.

The defeat of Ali Tareen was declared as the defeat of dynasty politics by most of the PTI critics on social media but a close look at NA-154 or even Lodhran district shows a different story. For years, NA-154 has been a battleground among influential political families who have been switching loyalties while preferring to go with the tide. In 2018 by polls, all the three contestants representing mainstream political parties were related to sitting or former MNA or MPA elected from the local area.

Ali Tareen is the son of former MNA Jehangir Tareen whereas PPP candidate Mirza Ali Baig is the close relative of former PPP MNA Mirza Nasir Baig who left PPP after 2013 and joined PML-N. After spending a couple of years in PML-N, he later returned to PPP and got ticket for Mirza Ali Baig, his son on the basis of close relationship with former President Asif Ali Zardari. He remained MNA in 1988 and 1993 and got over 75,000 votes in 2002 and 2008 polls.

Above all, the winner Pir Iqbal Shah is the father of sitting local MPA Amir Iqbal Shah. Pir Iqbal Shah, the winner of the NA-154 by polls, served as Tehsil Nazim of PML-Q in Musharraf Era and his son Amir Iqbal Shah, was elected as MPA in 2002 polls. In 2008, Amir Iqbal Shah contested on PML-Q ticket from PP-207 and lost the polls but remained victorious again in 2013 as independent candidate while defeating PML-N and PTI ticket holders.

From the same NA-154 seat, Siddique Khan Baloch on PML-Q ticket emerged victorious in 2008 after a close finish against PPP’s Mirza Nasir Baig. The winner in that contest got around 81,000 and the runner up, the PPP candidate lost the polls with a narrow margin and got around 79,000 votes. Nasir Baig has also been MNA of PPP in past.

Siddique Khan in the year 2013 contested on the PML-N ticket and once again won the polls after defeating PTI’s Jehangir Khan Tareen. Having won two seats, one National and the other Provincial, Siddique Khan vacated the provincial seat where he fielded his son who won comfortably and it has also been a precedent of dynasty politics in the area.

When we talk about Lodhran, it is impossible to ignore Kanju group from the district which is now led by former District Nazim Abdul Rehman Kanju. Abdul Rehman, who is son of a seasoned politician of his age, late Siddique Khan Kanju is now associated with PML-N whereas he remained District Nazim in 2001 while winning with PML-Q support. He also had a brief relationship with PTI but contested as independent candidate in 2013 general elections where his group won major chunk of seats and later preferred to join PML-N.