DERA GHAZI KHAN-The entire Dera Ghazi Khan rose to jubilations on Sunday when Sardar Usman Khan Buzdar was elected as Punjab chief minister, bagging 186 votes against his rival PML-N’s Hamza Shahbaz Sharif.
The citizens were overjoyed at seeing “son of Dera Ghazi Khan” in the office of the chief executive of Punjab province. The city people celebrated the occasion in their traditional way, performing bhangra to drumbeats, chanting slogans, taking out processions, displaying fireworks and distributing sweets to express their happiness.
Showering of rose petals and Balochi Jhomar gave a unique touch to the celebrations at Buzdar House located at Block No-17 in DG Khan.
In different parts of the city particularly at Kamal Chowk Taunsa Sharif city, people took out processions, carrying portraits of Sardar Usman Buzdar, PTI flags, banners and placards.
Brothers of the Punjab CM, Sardar Jaffar Khan Buzdar and Sardar Umar Khan Buzdar distributed sweets among people at Buzdar House where people kept on dancing. The citizens took out car / motorcycles rallies which were also attended by large numbers of PTI workers. There was a huge rush on the city roads mainly due to processions. The celebrations were continued till evening when this report was being filed.
Talking to The Nation, people said, one of the most immediate challenges that the Sardar Usman Khan Buzdar will face will be the establishment of Camp Office of Chief Minister Punjab and Civil Secretariat at Multan, a step forward to the creation of new province of South Punjab on administrative ground as per election manifesto of the now ruling PTI.
“He must keep in mind that while the task is difficult, it is not impossible, and that he has the people’s representatives behind him as shown by the vote on Sunday,” people pointed out.
Newly-elected Punjab CM Sardar Usman Khan Buzdar belongs to tribal area village Barhti of district DG Khan. He contested the general elections 2018 from PP-286 as PTI candidate and bagged 27,027 votes against his rival former MPA Khawaja Nizamul Mehmood.
He is elder son of tribal Chief Sardar Fateh Muhammad Khan Buzdar. Sardar Fateh Muhammad Khan has also been a former lawmaker of Punjab Assembly.
49-year-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 member of District Bar Association (DBA) DG Khan. He has one wife (first cousin) and three daughters. He remained politically affiliated with 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 Gen (r) Pervaiz Musharraf era.
In 2013, he joined PML-N and contested general election 2013 on the party ticket from PP-241 (DG Khan-II) but was defeated Kh Nizamul Mehmood, a PPP candidate.
Usman joined Junoobi Punjab Suba Mahaz (JPSM) prior to the 2018 general elections which later with PTI on May 9, 2018, on the promise to create a new province in south Punjab within 100 days after coming to power. The mahaz candidates contested the general elections under the PTI banner.