LAHORE - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has achieved the distinction of becoming the only party head to win National Assembly seats in three federating units and the federal capital.
Before him, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Benazir Bhutto was the only leader who won NA seats from more than one federating unit. Later, it was also Imran Khan who shared this honor with the first lady prime minister by winning an equal number of NA seats from two federating units, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhawa (KPK).
Benazir Bhutto won NA seats from Larkana (Sindh) and Lahore (Punjab) in 1988 general elections. In the next elections, she also contested from Peshawar (then North Western Frontier Province) but lost to Awami National Party’s Ghulam Ahmed Bilour.
In the last general elections, Imran Khan joined Benazir Bhutto by getting NA seats from Mianwali and Rawalpindi (Punjab) and Peshawar (KPK). He defeated Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Ubaid Ullah Shadikhel in Mianwali and Hanif Abbasi in Rawalpindi (Punjab) and ANP’s Ghulam Ahmed Bilour in Peshawar (KPK). As he retained seat from Rawalpindi, PTI lost the remaining constituencies to candidates of rival parties in bye elections.
Imran Khan went further ahead in 2018 after winning seats from three federating units, Punjab, KPK and Sindh along with federal capital. Cricketer turned politician defeated PML-N’s Kh Saad Rafique in NA-131 Lahore (Punjab), former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in NA-53 (Islamabad), Mutahida Qaomi Movement (MQM) Pakistan’s Syed Ali Raza Abidi in NA-243 Karachi (Sindh), Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal’s Akram Khan Durrani in NA-35 Bannu (KPK) and Ubaid Ullah Shadikhel in NA-95 Mianwali (Punjab).
PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif was also in the race for either joining Imran Khan (winning NA seats from three provinces) or Benazir Bhutto (two provinces) but he lost polls to PTI’s Faisal Vawda in NA-249 Karachi (Sindh) with a narrow margin and to PTI’s Saleem Rehman in NA-3 Swat (KPK) with huge margin of more than 46,000 votes.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was also in the run to join his mother as he contested 2018 elections from three constituencies in two provinces. He contested from NA-200 (Larkana) and NA-246 (party’s stronghold Lyari) in Sindh and NA-8 Malakand (KPK). Bilawal Bhutto Zardari lost to PTI’s Junaid Akbar in NA-8 Malakand (KPK) and Abdul Shakoor Shad in NA-246.
Political analysts believe that it will be difficult for any politician to surpass Imran Khan in near future as most of parties are confined to one province. PPP is primarily confined to Sindh and PML-N has stronghold in Punjab. They say that Imran Khan can improve own record if he goes for the ambitious option of contesting from any NA seats in Balochistan in next general elections.
IQTIDAR GILANI
