As elections 2024 draw closer … : Political temperature rises in Sialkot amid cold weather

SIALKOT: As the election 2024 are drawing closer, the candidates of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), Tehrik-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) and several independent contenders are intensifying their campaigns despite severely cold weather.

The candidates of PTI are also campaigning with different election symbols after the Supreme Court of Pakistan upheld the decision of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) depriving the PTI of its “bat” symbol as the party failed to conduct inter-party polls in transparent manner. Among five National Assembly constituencies in Sialkot district, NA-71 (Sialkot-2) enjoys the most important status as the central stalwart of PMLN Khwaja Muhammad Asif has been contesting and winning from the constituency since 1993 for six times consecutively. The constituency NA-71, with 577281registered votes (305133 male and 272148 females), comprises mainly of Sialkot city's Municipal Corporation localities, cantonment and some adjoining rural areas.

Among the leading communities of this constituency, Araiens, Kashmiris, Mughals and Gujjars are included but in the general elections since 1988, they have not played so much important role, and mostly the people have preferred to vote for the political parties.

For the election 2024, total 25 candidates are finalized so far, and among them, Kh Muhammad Asif of PML-N, Kh Awais Mushtaq advocate of PPP, Dr Tahir Mehmood Butt of JIP, Muhammad Aslam of TLP and PTI's Rehana Imtiaz Dar are leading candidates but the real contenders are none other than Kh Muhammad Asif and Rehana Imtiaz Dar.

It is worth mentioning that Rehana Imtaz Dar, mother of former PTI leader Usman Dar, is the first woman ever contesting general election from this seat since 1970 and she is absolutely new to the politics and elections. She came forward to contest elections when a few months back her son Usman Dar in a press conference had announced to leave politics and PTI.

On the other hand, PMLN's Kh Muhammad Asif is working hard by holding corner meetings and addressing public gatherings, and looks quite confident to secure this seat for the seventh time.

Rehana Imtiaz Dar is also campaigning but after her party was deprived of its election symbol, she is also working hard while mostly depending on social media to raise the public awareness about her election symbol.

According to the local pandits, there could be tough situation for Kh Muhammad Asif provided Rehana Imtaz Dar successfully manages to mobilize voters and supporters of PTI on the election day.

The PP-46 (Sialkot-3) and PP-47 (Sialkot-4) are the two Punjab Assembly seats falling under NA-71, and in these provincial constituencies, the PMLN enjoys quite good record except for the Election 2018 when the current IPP local leader Ch Muhammad Ikhlaq managed to win PP-46 seat under the banner of PTI.

In PP-46, there are total 28 candidates but the prominent ones are Ch Faisal Akraam of PMLN, Ruba Dar of PTI, Azhar Ali of PPP, Muhammad Atique of TLP, Malik Munir Hussain of JIP and Ch Ikhlaq of IPP but the actual contest is likely to take place between Ch Faisal Akraam of PML-N and Ruba Umer Dar of PTI.

It is note worthy here that both of the leading contender for this provincial seat are the fresh faces with no previous experience of electoral politics. PML-N's Ch Faisal Akraam is the son of local party leader Ch Muhammad Akraam and PTI' Ruba Umer Dar is the wife of Umer Dar.

For the 33 candidates to contest for PP-47, Kh Mansha Ullah Butt of PMLN, Muhammad Kashif of PTI, Dr Tahir Mehmood Butt of JIP, Muhammad Ansar Rafique of TLP and independent candidate Mirza Khurram Zeb are leading candidates but the contest is likely to take place between Kh Mansha Ullah Butt and Muhammad Kashif. However, Mirza Khurram Zeb could spoil the party for PMLN candidate.