Votebank comes secondary: Clans rule the roost in Khanewal politics

MULTAN: Alignments, realignments of influential clans, ethnic and religious groups are more important than the political parties’ votebank in Khanewal district.

The Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) new delimitations have marked four National Assembly and eight Punjab Assembly slots in the district. The ECP statistics of past three elections held in 2013, 2008 and 2002 have established that the influential clans have massive role in capturing the seats.

The Sarganas, Harajs, Dahas, Rajputs and Syeds’ clans with sizeable religious vote have an exclusive role in the whole electioneering. A triangular election battle has been in the run in the constituency among Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan People’s Party. PTI has fielded barrister Raza Hayat Haraj, the PML-N put Admiral (retd) Saeed Ahmed Sargana and the PPP is expected to launch Syed Fakhar Imam from NA-150 Khanewal-I (previously NA-156 Khanewal-I). Raza Hayat Haraj has won the slot thrice in the past elections on the PPP ticket in 2002, in 2008 on the PML-Q ticket and in 2013 as an independent candidate. He faced Syed Fakhar Imam in all the three elections and defeated him.

PML-N candidate Admiral (retd) Saeed Ahmed Sargana is a quite new entry but Sarganas are big landlords than the Harajs. The Sargana clan has strong influence in the constituency with more than five union councils. In fact, Sarganas and Harajs were the political allies in the past elections but now both the big clans are fighting for the slot in the upcoming general elections. The Sargana clan detached from the Harajs on keeping the district backward despite of capturing slots in the past elections.

“Khanewal is the area of richest and fertile agriculture lands but it is the poorest district in the province. No heavy and ordinary industry has been established in the district in the last 50 years,” told Admiral (retd) Sargana to The News. The constituency starts from tehsil Kabirwala to Khanewal and culminate at Shorkot across the river belt. It covers the areas of Kabirwala municipal corporation, Sarai Sidhu Tehsil Corporation (old), tehsil Kabirwala, Chak 25/Ghagh, Sardarpur, Salar Wahin Kohna, Kukkar Hatta and Bagar.

PP-203 KHANEWAL-I (PREVIOUSLY PP-212): Harajs and Syeds are the main players in the constituency where the PML-N has fielded Pir Mukhtar Hussein Shah from PP-203 Khanewal-I (previously PP-212 Khanewal-I).

The PTI has fielded Akbar Hayat Haraj from PP-203 Khanewal-I. Akbar Hayat Haraj is the younger brother of Raza Hayat Haraj and son of Mahar Khizar Hayat Haraj.

Fielding of Pir Mukhtar Hussein Shah by the PML-N has shocked Syed Fakhar Imam because he had nominated him for his panel. The educationists, deeply linked in the constituency, were of the view that Pir Mukhtar Shah is an active social activist with strong links in small and big ‘biradaris’ and they were expecting capturing the National Assembly slot by defeating Syed Fakhar Imam in case Pir Mukhtar Shah would contest from his panel. Mukhtar Shah contested on the PPP ticket in 2002 elections and won the slot with 44383 votes while Dr Syed Khawar Ali Shah of the PML-Q received 33909 votes.

In 2008 general elections, Haji Ghulam Jafar Sargana of PML-Q won the slot with 36391 votes. Syed Ali Akbar Shah of PML-N received 6247 votes and Pir Mukhtar Shah received 31585 votes but they lost. Akbar Hayat Haraj then contested as an independent candidate abd won the slot in 2013 with 38820 votes. The Sargana clan fully backed him and now they have disassociated themselves from the Haraj group.

PP-204 KHANEWAL-II (PREVIOUSLY PP-213): The Sarganas, Gardezis, Rajputs, Sials and Thaems are the key influential clans contesting from the constituency. The PTI has fielded Mahar Abbass Zafar Haraj while the PML-N has nominated Rana Irfan from the constituency. Syed Hussein Jehania Gardezi is the favourite candidate in the constituency with his deep influence at the union council level. He has won the slot thrice as an independent candidate in the past elections.

The PML-N has fielded Rana Irfan from the PP-204 Khanewal-II (previously PP-213) for the 2018 elections. Rana Irfan had contested from the constituency in 2013 but lost with 3000 votes. The PTI has fielded Mahar Abbass Zafar Haraj while PPP has yet not decided about the candidate. Mahar Abbas Haraj is the son of Mahar Zafar Ahmed Haraj, one of the highly richest landholder in Haraj clan, even he is biggest than Raza Hayat Haraj as far as wealth is concerned, said the political workers.

Syed Hussain Jehania Gardezi first contested on the National Alliance ticket and won the slot with 26462 votes in 2002. Sardar Ahmed Hayat Sial of the PML-Q, Syed Asad Abbas Shah of the PML-N and Malik Sajid Raza Thaem of the PPP lost the election. In 2008 general elections, Abbas Zafar Haraj contested on the PPP ticket and won the slot with 23293 votes. Gardezi contested on the PML-Q ticket and received 22379 votes while Rana Irfan of the PML-N could receive only 11083 votes.

Hussain Jehani Gardezi won the slot in 2013 general elections as an independent candidate, defeating Haji Qasim Raza of the PPP who received 36329 votes, and Rana Irfan Ahmed of the PML-N who received 33452 votes. The constituency covers the areas of Kabirwala MC, Kabirwala, Salar Wahin Kohna, and Kukkar Hatta.