NA-70 to witness tough fight between Sadat, Kaira families

LALAMUSA: A tough contest is expected between the traditional political opponents of Sadat and Kaira families, which are contesting against each other since long.

After getting the list of 15 candidates, the politicians of NA-70 constituency have started accelerating their election campaign by conducting corner meetings. Politicians are also using their influence to muster support. Chaudhry Jaffar Iqbal was elected as member of the National Assembly on a PML-N ticket from NA-106 (Gujrat-III) in general election 2013. He served as a minister of state for maritime affairs in the Abbasi cabinet from August 2017 to May 2018. He contested for the seat of Punjab Assembly as a PML-N candidate from PP-113 (Gujrat-VI) constituency in general election 2002 and 2008 but was unsuccessful. He also served as the Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Defence.

The brother of former MNA Syed Manzoor Hussain Shah of Kulewal Syedan, Syed Noorul Hassan Shah, contested election against Ch Jaffar Iqbal and Qamar Zaman Kaira as an independent candidate due to some reasons. Though the Sadat family gave him handsome votes but he could not win the election.

Chaudhry Qamar Zaman Kaira started his political career by becoming the nazim of 84/1 Lalamusa in the local bodies’ elections. Later, he contested general elections. His brother Chaudhry Nadeem Asghar Kaira, who was the tehsil nazim Kharian, faced different cases and was sent to jail but the Kaira family did not compromise and won his second election through jail. Kaira did not accept any offer and expressed his loyalty with the PPP. He also won the next general election in 2008 and was given different ministries, including the Ministry of Kashmir and Northern Areas, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Before taking the charge of the information ministry, Kaira was appointed as the acting governor of Gilgit-Baltistan in 2009. He remained the member of National Assembly from 2002 to 2007. Unexpectedly, he faced defeat in 2013 general elections and lost his MNA seat.

Voters, who had sent him to the assembly twice, expressed their unwillingness to vote him again. Despite of the defeat then, he was encouraged by his friends and supporters. In the upcoming general elections, Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Irfan Ahmed Safi and others are also among the contenders in NA-70.

However, there is still a possibility of tough competition between Qamar Zaman Kaira and his traditional political opponent Sadat family, and Chaudhry Jaffar Iqbal.