Who will reign supreme in Lahore

The Lahore metropolitan has always remained a big battle of the ballot. There will be neck-on-neck contests and interesting-to-watch shows in the ‘stronghold’ on February 8.

Former prime ministers, chief ministers, ex-governors and party stalwarts are in the run for 14 seats of the National Assembly from Lahore, making it the focal point.

The heated electoral battle is in NA-130 where Nawaz Sharif, the three-time premier, and Dr Yasmin Rashid, a PTI stalwart are in the run.

As the PML-N Supremo could not take part in the previous polls after the country’s top court pronounced him disqualified for life, his party have done their best for their traditional stronghold.

The PTI-loyal Yasmin Rashid too has a strong position.  In 2018, she lost the national assembly seat NA-125 to PML-N’s Waheed Alam Khan but was elected into the Punjab Assembly as a candidate of PTI on a reserved seat for women and became a minister.

Shehbaz Sharif, former prime minister and PML-N President Shehbaz is in the run for NA-123.  He is likely to face competition from Jamaat-e-Islami’s Liaquat Baloch, Ziaul Haq of PPP.  Afzal Azim, an independent candidate and 16 others who are too in the race.

Shehbaz Sharif has played a pivotal role in ousting Imran Khan from the office of prime minister – the same was previously played by the latter to oust the former’s brother Nawaz Sharif in the wake of the Panama Papers scandal. He became prime minister in 2020 after the vote of no-confidence against the PTI founder.

Since 1988, Shehbaz Sharif has been in politics. He has a history of being re-elected from various constituencies in the Punjab capital. He served as the chief minister of Punjab for two terms and is known for his administrative skills.

Liaquat Baloch of JI is a senior politician and has a vote bank too as his Jamaat has a pivotal part in the country’s national politics.

Maryam Nawaz, the daughter of three-time premier, is in the run for NA-119 against PTI leader Mian Abaad Farooque and Iftikhar Shahid of the PPP.

It is the election debut of Maryam Nawaz as the political heiress of Nawaz Sharif could not contest the previous poll after her conviction in the Avenfield reference. Maryam was given a seven-year prison sentence but she challenged it and Islamabad High Court overturned it later.

In the 2018 election, Maryam Nawaz was given PML-N tickets for a National Assembly and a Punjab Assembly seat.  In January 2023, Maryam became senior vice president and chief organiser of the party.

The NA-118 constituency, though called as the bastion of the PML-N, anticipates a spirited contest among former Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz Sharif, Aliya Hamza of the PTI and Shahid Abbas.

The son of Shehbaz Sharif served as the leader of the opposition in the Punjab Provincial Assembly from September 2018 to April 2022 and later from 20 October till the dissolution of the Assembly.  He also held the post of Punjab CM for a short period.

Apart from this, Abid Hussain of the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan, Muhammad Shaukat of Jamaat-e-Islami and Muhammad Afzal of JUI are among other aspirants

Although PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is contesting from his home province of Sindh, he made his electoral debut in Punjab from NA-127. PML-N faithful Ataullah Tarar and PTI’s Chaudhry Shabbir Gujjar are contesting against the former foreign minister.

His election campaign has been dubbed as properly planned but PML-N firebrand Tarar has never left a chance to take a jibe at the son of Benazir Bhutto, the first woman prime minister of a Muslim state. The son of former president Asif Ali Zardari is not at all new to the world of politics. The grandson of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is determined to clinch victory.

The NA-122 constituency is stated to be another of PML-N’s traditional strongholds. Ex-PML-N minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq is in the run against former Punjab governor Latif Khosa.

Khosa remained a ‘close aide’ of legendary leader Benazir Bhutto. However, recently left the PPP and joined the PTI. He represented PTI founder Imran Khan in several cases and for this, his PPP membership was suspended in September last.

Khawaja Saad started his political career as a student in Lahore in the early 1980s and joined the PML-N later.  In 1997, he was elected as a member of the Punjab Assembly for the first time. He was among the PML-N leaders who confronted Musharraf in the absence of Nawaz Sharif. He faced arrests and jail too.

In 2002, Saad Rafique won the NA-119 seat and in 2008, Khawaja Saad Rafique was re-elected as MNA from NA-125.

In 2013, he was re-elected as a member of the National Assembly for the third time. and was appointed Minister of Railways. He too has a history of being elected as MPA from Lahore again and again.

Aleem Khan, the president of Istehkam-e-Pakistan, is in the run from NA-117 with seat adjustment of PML-N. Ali Ijaz Butar of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf and Asif Hashmi of the People's Party are too contesting for the seat.

Aleem Khan started his politics with the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid during the Pervez Musharraf regime and was elected as a member of the Punjab Assembly for the first time in 2002 and became a provincial minister. He is among the politicians who parted ways with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf after the May 9 mayhem.