CHINIOT - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has maintained its position in the district to challenge the vote bank of PML-N which has been further increased after the upgradation of Chiniot from tehsil to district by CM Shahbaz Sharif.
The district comprises of One full and two half shared National Assembly constituencies with Jhang. Chiniot city and most of the rural area comes under NA-86 where different political parties and local groups share vote banks. About 40pc of the votes are in urban area while 60pc belong to rural population.
Some decades ago, the feudal lords of Rajoya Sadat, a village of powerful Syed Family, were the main winners of elections. However, a change came to urban area in 1997 when Qaisar Ahmad Sheikh, a businessman, was elected as independent candidate. But in 2002 elections, Syed Tahir Shah of PML-Q snatched this seat, and in the 2008 elections, PPP’s Syed Anayat Shah won this seat.
Ealier, Maulana Manzoor Ahmad Chinioti, local religious-cum-political leader established the Maulvi Group in Chiniot in 1970s and started challenging the rule of feudal lords. He was elected as MPA in 1985, 1998, 1997 and managed to form a huge vote bank of 30-40 thousands of the followers of the district and suburban areas. He died in 2005 and his son Maulana Ilyas Chinioti continued his success and elected MPA in 2008 as independent candidate defeating both PML-N and PPP candidates.
Taking a prudent step, he offered to join PML-N, when the party desperately needed MPAs support for making Punjab government soon after elections, on single condition of upgradation of Chiniot as district. The promise was fulfilled in 2009 by CM Shahbaz Sharif and he gained an overwhelming popularity among the local popularity. PML-N continued to increase its supporters by granting about Rs1 billion funds annually to Chiniot development projects.
Meanwhile, Syed Tahir Shah along with his nephew Syed Zulfiqar Shah, former tehsil nazim, also joined PML-N some two years back on the promise of getting a party ticket. This has also increased its chances of winning coming elections. But Syed Tahir Shah, soon left party and has now joined PTI. This was the first setback to party which tilted the balance in PTI’s favour.
Later, former district naib nazim Hassan Ali Qazi, who is supported by influential Qazi Group and has done numerous of uplift work, has also joined the PTI. Qazi Family has been in politics even before partition since three generations and have a good vote bank in urban and rural areas of the district.
Syed Zulfiqar Shah, another political stalwart, who was elected tehsil nazim twice, also joined PTI. Zulfiqar is nephew of former MNA Syed Tahir Shah. PTI got another surprising strength as former MNA and industrialist Qaisar Ahmad sheikh also joined the party. These politicians have strengthened the PTI for coming elections and power balance seemed going from PML-N to PTI’s side.
PML-N has tried to overcome its loss by getting ahead, Sheikh Qaisar Mehmood, a leading businessman who has carried out several welfare projects in the district. Moreover, he will also have the liaison Maulvi Group’s Chief Maulana Ilyas Chinioti, who will contest election as MPA on PML-N ticket. Qaisar Mehmood is known as close aide of Nawaz Sharif who joined PML-N in 1995 and was made president of Japan Muslim League. He extended the PML-N branches to African countries and South America. He established a human welfare trust in 1999 in Chiniot with provision of health, financial assistance, marriage grants, self-employment schemes to thousands of beneficiaries of the district.
Although PPP is seen at losing end due to its policies, alleged corruption and loadshedding of gas and electricity, but its sitting MNA Syed Anayat Shah also made development schemes of electricity supply, gas extension to slum areas and employment opportunities to people and has secured its own vote bank for the coming elections.
If the constituency situation is analysed, there are four candidates who may come to the run for elections - PTI’s Syed Zulfiqar Shah and Qaisar Ahmad, PML-N’s Sheikh Qaisar Mehmood, while PPP may again give ticket to Syed Anayat Ali Shah. If both of PTI candidates stand against each other, PML-N will be expected to get the seat while in a single contest the PML-N would face tough contest despite have favours of the people of Chiniot.