Elections 2018: Pitched battles

LAHORE: The PTI chief Imran Khan, who is yet to win from Lahore despite three attempts, will contest the 2018 polls against PML-N bigwig Khawaja Saad Rafique from NA 131.

Imran contested for the first time from Lahore in 1997 on two seats – the then NA-94 and NA-95 – and lost to PML-N candidates Tariq Aziz and Nawaz Sharif respectively. In 2002, Imran contested against Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, his former party stalwart, who was contesting as PML-N candidate from NA-122. Iman lost to him but won from Mianwali. In 2008, Imran’s PTI boycotted the elections, but he faced Ayaz Sadiq again in 2013 from NA-122 and lost after a tough contest.

In 2018, he is now trying his luck from NA-131 but this time against Saad who has not faced defeat since 1997 from this constituency. In NA-95 Mianwali, the PTI chief will face PML-N’s Obaidullah Shadi Khel. The PML-N has so far nominated candidates for 116 seats of National Assembly and 192 of the provincial legislature in Punjab where the majority of its nominees will face the PTI representatives as major opponents.

In one of the major contests to be watched for the PML-N in 2018, Maryam Nawaz, the protégé of deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, is contesting from NA-125 against PTI’s Dr Yasmeen Rashid who had given tough time to Nawaz in 2013 elections, and then to his wife Kulsoom Nawaz in the 2017 bye-election. In NA-132 Lahore, PML-N’s president Shahbaz Sharif will contest against Mansha Sindhu of PTI.

Another PML-N stalwart Khawaja Asif, who barely escaped disqualification, will face his traditional rival from PTI, Usman Dar, in NA-73 Sialkot. In NA-127 Lahore, veteran PML-N leader Pervaiz Malik will face Jamshed Iqbal Cheema of PTI. In NA-124, Hamza Shahbaz will face PTI’s Nauman Qaiser. In NA-62 Rawalpindi, an interesting contest will be seen between PML-N’s Daniyal Chaudhry and Awami Muslim League’s Sheikh Rashid who is to contest against his traditional rival Hanif Abbasi of PML-N from NA-60 Rawalpindi.

In NA-129 Lahore, PML-N’s Sardar Ayaz Sadiq is contesting against PTI’s Abdul Aleem Khan. Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will contest from NA-57 Murree, but his rival from PTI is yet to be announced. Similarly, another PML-N stalwart Abid Sher Ali will contest from NA 108 Faisalabad. Former interior minister Ahsan Iqbal will contest from NA-78 Narowal against PTI’s Abrar-ul-Haq. The PML-N’s Rana Sanaullah will face PTI’s Nisar Jatt from NA-106 Faisalabad.

Saad’s brother, Khawaja Salman Rafique, had lost the election in 2013 but returned to the provincial assembly in a bye-poll. He remained the advisor on health to the Punjab chief minister when he was not a member of the provincial assembly, but was made the minister of specialised healthcare after winning the by-election.

The PML-N’s Khurram Dastgir Khan is contesting from his ancestral seat NA-81 Gujranwala, but PTI is yet to announce its candidate from there. In Lahore, besides Imran, the candidates like Malik Zaheer, Aleem Khan and Mansha Sindhu are PTI ticket holders who have won in the past as candidates of other political parties.