SHEIKHUPURA
Independent candidate for PP-168 Sheikhupura, Advocate Rana Ali Salman is the son of former Punjab chief secretary and federal finance secretary Salman Siddiq. He is a member of Sheikhupura Stadium Cricket Trust and a senior officer-bearer of the Punjab Cricket Board. He is contesting election against heavyweight like PML-N candidate Rana Tanvir Hussain and PTI’s Kanwar Saeed from the constituency.
The residents of the area have welcomed the candidature of Rana Ali Salman because he has been serving them selflessly. He has played a vital role in getting Rs750 million approved for the development of the area. Former PPP ticket holder Zafarullah Malik and many other important personalities have announced support for him while and influential people from various groups and biradaris are also supporting him. Hazrat Bilal Chishti, Sajjada Nasheen of Ajmer Sharif, especially reached Mananwala and offered prayers for his success. Sufi Abdul Jalil, alias Chacha-e-Cricket has arrived in the constituency and stepped up his election campaign.
While talking to this correspondent, Ali Salman said that it was his dream to eradicate backwardness and poverty from the area. “Peace, justice, progress, prosperity, education for all, and health and stability in the country is my manifesto,” he said.
He was upbeat about his success in the election. According to residents of the area, the decision of the young leader to contest election is a blessing for them as he is well educated and capable of solving their problems. He enjoys the credit of excluding four union councils of Mananwala from district Nankana Sahib and including them in district Sheikhupura. Today these union councils are part of district Sheikhupura. Supply of drinking water for 50,000 people of Mananwala and Faisal Town, establishment of Nadra centre as well as approval of Nadra van for women and the disabled, construction of roads in various villages and completion of sewerage system projects are some of his achievements. He has managed uplift works in the agriculture sector like remodelling and development of water channels in Feroz Wattooan, Chalarsawan Wahga, Mananwala Karpal Singh and other areas. He has got approval of Sui gas supply projects for the people of his constituency. He has the credit of provision of IT labs in Government Girls High School Feroz Wattooan, Government Girls High School Mananwala and Muslim Shaheen High School. He provided funds from his own pocket for electricity supply and installation of transformers in Baherrianwala, Karlakake Andrron, Chak 6, UC 8, Dera Gujran, Sikandarabad and Kadlathi Sheikhupura College of Commerce.
Ali Salman told this correspondent that he would make Constituency PP-168 a role model for other areas. He vowed to carry out uplift projects and solve the people’s problems on self-help basis, through government funds and with the cooperation of international and national NGOs.