A PTI candidate who defeated Nawaz on PPP ticket

LAHORE: Among the current lot of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf National Assembly ticket holders, there is one who once defeated the PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif from a provincial seat in 1988.

In the 1988 general elections, in a contest that took place on the land of Pakpattan, Mian Amjad Joyia, who is currently the ticket holder of PTI emerged victorious against then Chief Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Nawaz Sharif, the top leader of Islami Jamhuri Ittehad (IJI), who has also been a chief minister since 1985 fielded himself from the then PP-187, Sahiwal-cum-Pakpattan seat from where Pakistan Peoples Party had awarded ticket to Mian Amjad Joyia.

In the Provincial Assembly elections which were held on November 19, 1988, Mian Amjad Joyia of PPP emerged victorious against Nawaz Sharif after with the margin of around 4,000 votes. In that contest, Mian Amjad Joyia stood first with 24,281 votes and Nawaz Sharif stood second while bagging 20,432 votes.

None of the other candidates could get more than 2,000 votes. An independent candidate Sardar Taj Muhammad stood at number three with 1978 votes.

However, that defeat couldn’t keep Nawaz out of contest as he won from both seats of Lahore he was contesting, which were NA-95 and PP-123. He retained the provincial seat and after victory of IJI, he once again took oath as Chief Minister of Punjab.

Now, Mian Amjad Joyia is in PTI which since 1988 is in his fourth political party and contesting from NA-146, Pakpattan. Mian Amjad Joyia, like many other ticket holders of PTI’s current lot has also a history of changing loyalties and going with the tide. In 1988, he won as PPP candidate but from the same seat in 1990, he was elected on the ticket of IJI. In 1993, when PPP was making a comeback, he got the National Assembly ticket and won the polls. In 2001, he was elected as District Nazim as the PPP candidate but later joined the PML-Q. His nephew, Dr Junaid Mumtaz Joyia also served as PML-Q MNA in 2002.