(DG Khan-based Sardar Usman defected from PML-N to PTI on new province promise)
DERA GHAZI KHAN-Sardar Usman Khan Buzdar, who is nominated for Punjab chief minister slot by Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf, belongs to the poorest of the Dera Ghazi Khan-based Baloch tribes.
He contested as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate in general elections 2018 from PP-286 Dera Ghazi Khan-II which consists of municipal area of Taunsa Sharif city as well as tribal area including his native village Barthi. He won the seat by bagging 27,027 votes against his rival ex-MPA Khawaja Muhammad Nizamul Mehmood who was independent candidate and could secured only 18,686 votes.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had set up 139 polling stations for 149,775 registered voters. Total polled vote were 79,415 and total 16 candidates contested in the constituency.
He is elder of five sons and five daughters of tribal chief Sardar Fateh Muhammad Khan Buzdar.
His tribe is the poorest among the nine Baloch tribes of districts DG Khan/Rajanpur namely Qasrani, Khitran, Khosa, Leghari, Mazari, Dreshak and Gurchani. Buzdar tribe migrated from central Iran to Balochistan (Hindustan) in 13th century.
Sardar Fateh Muhammad did master in Political Science from Karachi University in 1964 and is an agriculturist by profession. He served as the member of Federal Council, Majlis-e-Shoora during 1983-84 and as member of District Council DG Khan. He is the chief of Buzdar Tribe, tribal area and Balochistan. He served as member of Punjab Assembly during 1985-88 from PP-186, returned to Punjab Assembly in general elections 2002 and 2008 for the second and third term from PP-241, and served as chairman of Standing Committee on Religious Affairs and Auqaf.
However, forty-nine years old Sardar Usman Khan Buzdar has a bachelor’s degree in law (LLB) and master’s degree in political science. He got middle level education from tribal area Barthi, intermediate certificate from Multan and master degree from Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan.
He is also the member of District Bar Association (DBA) DG Khan. He has one wife and three daughters. As per ECP Form B, he has net assets of Rs761,896 in current financial year and paid Rs63,890 as agricultural tax against income of Rs468,500 in 2017. He has no criminal record.
He remained politically affiliated with Pakistan Muslim League Qauid (PML-Q) from 2002 to 2011. He served as Tehsil Nazim of tribal area (adjoining tribal areas of tehsil Taunsa Sharif etc) from 2001 to 2011 in General Pervaiz Musharraf’s era.
In 2013, he joined Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N). He ran for the seat of the provincial assembly of the Punjab as a candidate of PML-N from Constituency PP-241 (Dera Ghazi Khan-II) in general election 2013, and was defeated. He received 22,590 votes and lost the seat to Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) candidate Khawaja Muhammad Nizamul Mehmood who bagged 27,511 votes.
Usman joined Junoobi Punjab Suba Mahaz (JPSM) prior to the 2018 general elections while JPSM merged with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on 9th of May 2018 on the promise of creating a new province in south Punjab within 100 days after the establishment of PTI’s government. He contested the 2018 general elections under the PTI banner.