SIALKOT/NAROWAL
The PML-N made a clean sweep of the general elections in Sialkot district, by clinching all the five National Assembly and eleven Punjab Assembly seats on Saturday.
In NA-110 constituency, Khawaja Muhammad Asif remained unbeatable as he has won the seat for five times consecutively, despite facing several hardships including the local political alliances against him. A few hours before the start of polling, PPP and PML-Q’s joint candidate Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan gave a twist and withdrew in favour of PTI candidate Usman Dar in a bid to defeat the PML-N’s startwart. But, the political sacrifice could not help PTI’s candidate Usman Dar win the seat. JI’s Arshad Mehmood Baggu also remained unable to defeat Khawaja Asif.
In NA-111, a major political upset was occurred and PML-N candidate Ch Armughan Subhani defeated PPP and PML-Q’s candidate Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan. In NA-112, PML-N’s Rana Shamim Ahmed defeated PPP and PML-Q’s joint candidate Ch Ejaz Ahmed Cheema and PTI’s Salman Saif Cheema.
In NA-113, PML-N’s Syed Iftikharul Hassan Shah defeated PTI’s Mirza Abdul Qayyum and Ch Ali Asjad Malhi, a joint candidate of PML-Q and PPP. In NA-114, PML-N’s Zahid Hamid remained unbeatable as he defeated PTI’s Syed Akhtar Hussain Rizvi, Ch Ghulam Abbas (PPP’s dissident and independent candidate) and Rana Yasir Islam (a joint candidate of PML-Q and PPP).
PML-N won all the 11 seats of Punjab Assembly in Sialkot district. Rana Arif Iqbal Harnah (PP 121 Sialkot), exporter-turned-politician, Ch Muhammad Ikram (PP-122 Sialkot), Khawaja Muhammad Asif (PP-123 Sialkot), Rana Abdul Sattar former MNA (PP-124 Sialkot), Variyo family scion Ch Tariq Akhtar Subhani (PP-125 Sialkot), Rana Liaqat Ali (PP-126 Sialkot) , Ch. Munawar Ali Gill (PP-127), Rana Muhammad Afzal (PP-128 Sialkot), Mohsin Jamil Ashraf (PP-129 Sialkot), Muhammad Asif Bajwa (PP-130 Sialkot) and exporter-turned-politician Arshad Javaid Warraich (PP-131 Sialkot) were elected MPAs of PML-N. Six new faces have been elected as MPA on six seats of provincial assembly in Sialkot district.
Khawaja Muhammad Asif, after winning for the fifth consecutive time, said that the PML-N government would preferably complete its economic development agenda, which was left incomplete due to the military takeover in the country by General (r) Pervez Musharraf.
Talking to the party workers at the PML-N House on Paris Road Sialkot city, he said that the economic agenda was aimed at bringing economic stability in the country, saying that now the country was in dire need of early implementation of the agenda for brining economic stability in the country.
On the other side, Dr Firdous Ashiq has accepted her defeat in constituency, saying that she would honour the public mandate. Talking to the newsmen here, she said that she did her best what she could for the welfare of the people and development of her constituency, besides, delivering well, but the people have voted her out.
“I accept the public mandate though against me,” she added. She vowed to continue to serve the people of her constituency in future without any political indiscrimination, in this regard.
She was contesting from two neighbouring constituencies (NA 110 Sialkot City-I and NA 111 Bajwat, Sialkot-II) as PPP’s candidate supported by PML-Q. Her voters and supporters became confused after withdrawal of Dr Firdous Ashiq as the rumors were also spread in NA-111. The local voters were considering that she had also withdrawn from NA-111 too. Her decision of withdrawal had also hurt the political sentiments of her voters, due to which she got less votes as she was expecting.
Likewise, the PML-N also swept Narowal district and won all the three National Assembly and five Punjab Assembly seats, proving that Narowal district was still a stronghold of the PML-N.
Mian Muhammad Rasheed was elected as MNA from NA-115 Zafarwal, Narowal-I, Daniyal Aziz (former Chairman National Reconstruction Bureau) from NA-116 Shakargarh, Narowal-II and PML-N stalwart Ch Ehsan Iqbal won by defeating PTI candidate Ibrarul Haq with a great lead of votes. However, Ibrarul Haq was still not accepting his shocking defeat here.
PTI Chairman Imran Khan had addressed public meetings at Sialkot, Pasrur, Zafarwal, Shakargarh and Narowal during the election campaign, but the PTI could not get the desired results. Even, PTI’s Ibrarul Haq also could not win against PML-N’s Ch Ehsan Iqbal in NA-117, Narowal-III.