MULTAN   -   Senate Chairman Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and his four sons made a new record of a single family by winning three National Assembly and one Provincial assembly seats besides another NA seat of his nephew from South Punjab.

The victory of Syed Ali Qasim Gilnai in May 19 by-elections from NA-148 by securing over 85000 votes set the record. The seat had fallen vacant owing to Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani who left NA-148 seat and was re-elected senator from Islamabad in March 14, 2024. Later on, he was elected as Chairman Senate unopposed.  In Feb 8 general elections,  Qasim’s elder brothers, Syed Ali Musa Gilani and Syed Abdul Qadir Gilani clinched their seats from NA 151 -Multan-IV and NA-152 Multan-V, respectively. Likewise, another brother, Syed Ali Haider Gilani secured the Punjab Assembly seat in 2024 general elections from PP-213.

Syed Sami Gilani a nephew of Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani was also elected MNA in the general elections from Ahmedpur East bringing the number to five of a family who are parliamentarian besides Syed Ali Haider Gilani who is Punjab Assembly member.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senior Vice President South Punjab, Khawaja Rizwan Alam, told media that it was a distinctive record of Gilani family that five of his members are part of Parliament at the same time and one is PA member, adding that it was honour of Multan and South Punjab masses.

He recalled that Syed Yusuf Raza had joined PPP in back 1987 and it was his steadfastness and loyalty with the party that he beceme Prime Minister in 2008 and now he is Chairman Senate.

 In Musharraf era, Yusuf Raza Gilani was offered the same position for parting ways with PPP and joining PML-Q by ex-Sindh CM, Arbab Ghulam Rahim when he (Gilani) was jailed in Adyala and by former religious minister, Ejaz ul Haq, who was class fellow of Mr Gilani at LA Salle Higher Secondary School, Multan besides Humayan Akhtar, but he did not accept the offer at all, he reminisced.

It is PPP which made him Prime Minister and now Chairman Senate due to his unflinching determination and perseverance with the party. It was Multan which gave PPP two PMs including party’s founding Chairman Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, Khawaja Rizwan said and added they won elections in 1970 and 2008 as MNAs, respectively, from the city and later on rose to PM status.

Multan has also that honour that National Assembly two speakers Sahabzada Farooq Ali Khan and Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani were elected from here.