No ex-player contesting polls from Lahore first time in 39 years

LAHORE:For the first time in last 39 years, no former national player is contesting from provincial capital in the general elections.

The historic city of Lahore enjoys a unique distinction over other cities of the country as five former sportsmen, who have represented Pakistan national cricket or hockey team, have been elected as members of Provincial or National Assembly from here. Three of these sportsmen belonged to cricket arena and two from the hockey field.

Interestingly, two of these five have even lifted the World Cup trophies for Pakistan in the games of cricket and hockey. However, since 1985, this is for the first time that no former national team player is part of the election contest.

First former sportsman who joined politics and contested the polls for assembly was Abdul Hafeez Kardar. Kardar was the first captain of Pakistani cricket team and after retirement, he joined Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and was fielded from PP-72, a Lahore seat. Like other PPP candidates contesting from Punjab, Kardar also won the polls comfortably and bagged 28,654 votes against Malik Muhammad Hussain of PDP who could get only 7,134 votes. Kardar was also made provincial minister later.

In 1977 general elections, there was no former national team player in contest from Lahore but from 1985 to 2018, in every general election, it is an interesting fact that one or two former national team players either contested or won.

In the 1985 non-party basis general elections, two former sportsmen, one from the field of hockey and other from cricket filed their nomination papers from their respective constituencies. One of them was former cricketer known as the pioneer of reverse swing, Sarfraz Nawaz who contested from the then PP-104. Sarfraz got around 1,4000 votes in that contest and next to him was Yusuf Khan who got 8,433 votes. Sheikh Anwar Saeed, a figure who got elected MPA in later years also got around 7,000 votes.

From PP-102, another Lahore seat, former Olympian and hockey legend Chaudhry Akhter Rasool won while defeating figures like Mian Munir and Farid Ahmad Paracha. Interestingly, both Mian Munir and Farid Paracha became MNAs in later years.

In the 1988 general elections, the same two former star players – Sarfraz Nawaz and Akhter Rasool - contested from Lahore. In that election, Akhtar Rasool won his seat but Sarfraz lost from where he was contesting.

In 1990, former captain of national hockey team Chaudhry Akhtar Rasool once again won his seat now on IJI ticket. In the 1993 general elections, two former national hockey players were fielded by their respective parties. Akhtar Rasool was pitched from PP-128 on PMLN ticket whereas PPP fielded former Olympian Qasim Zia from the then PP-119 against PMLN's Haroon Akhter Khan but he lost.

The same former team mates were also awarded tickets by their respective parties in the 1997 general elections from Lahore and like 1993, Akhtar Rasool won but Qasim Zia lost again. The hallmark of 1997 election, was the electoral debut of former captain of Pakistani cricket team Imran Khan, who lost his first election. In this way, three former sportsmen contested from Lahore but only Ch Akhtar Rasool managed to clinch his seat.

In 2002 general elections, Imran Khan, the head of Pakistan Tehreek e Insaaf (PTI) contested from Lahore but lost. In the year 2002, another former Hockey Olympian Qasim Zia finally attained victory in the third poll he contested from Lahore. On PPP ticket, Qasim Zia got elected as MPA and also served as Opposition leader in Punjab Assembly for next five years. Ch Akhtar Rasool, who had joined PMLQ by then could not contest due to graduation bar.

In the year 2008, the only sportsman contested from Lahore was Qasim Zia but he lost his seat. However, he got elected from PP-59, Faisalabad in the by-election. In the 2013 general elections, no former Pakistan sportsmen could win from Lahore as both Akhtar Rasool and Imran Khan lost their seats.

In the 2018 general elections, once again a former sportsman was in contest from Lahore in form of Imran Khan who won after a tight contest with PMLN’s Kh Saad Rafique. However, Saad Rafique won the seat in by-polls.

Imran had to wait for 21 years since 1997 to win first time from Lahore in the year 2018. After suffering three defeats on the soil of Lahore in 1997, 2002 and 2013, Imran Khan finally emerged victorious after a very tough contest against PMLN's Saad Rafique. The margin of victory was merely a few hundred votes.

In the 2024 general elections, no former sportsmen who represented Pakistan are in contest. Imran Khan has been disqualified whereas Akhtar Rasool and Qasim Zia are not in contest.