Ch Nisar, Ghulam Sarwar's 40-year political career ends after loss in 2024 polls

• Ghulam, Nisar couldn't even get runner-up positions in polls. 
• Voters elect new faces for NA, PA seats in their constituencies.
• Nisar and Ghulam were elected MNA, MPA in 1985 for first time.

ISLAMABAD: The 2024 elections have resulted in the elimination of two former federal ministers, Ch Nisar Ali Khan and Ghulam Sarwar Khan, from the political arena of NA-54 after their active participation in politics over the last 40 years. 

It was the first election in the last four decades when these two former ministers in the last 10 elections since 1985 could not get the first or runner-up positions. The voters have rejected the traditional faces and opted to vote for new faces for both National Assembly and provincial assembly seats.

Now voters have elected all new faces for the first time for the National Assembly (NA-54) seat and two provincial assembly seats — PP-12 and PP-13. The constituents have voted against former federal ministers, who are standing in third and fourth positions by securing only 19,993 votes (Ch Nisar) and 16,889 votes (Ghulam).

Ch Nisar and Ghulam were elected MNA and MPA in 1985 for the first time from Taxila and Wah Cantt constituencies in non-party elections. Then both parted ways and joined different political parties. Since 1985, both have been elected during different tenures. Ch Nisar remained affiliated with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), but preferred to part ways with PML-N and contested the 2018 election as an independent candidate for the NA seat but lost it.

Ghulam first joined the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), won a provincial assembly seat and became the provincial minister during the PPP-led government in Punjab. When Musharraf took over the reins and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) was formed, he joined the PML-Q after winning the 2002 elections as an independent candidate. He lost the elections in 2008. Then he joined the PTI and won two seats in the 2018 elections. In the 2024 elections, he joined the Istehkam-e-Pakistan (IPP) and lost the election.

Barrister Aqeel Malik, who was deprived of a PML-N ticket from NA-54 because of seat adjustment with the IPP as the ticket was awarded to Ghulam, secured 85,912 votes as per Form-47 issued by the returning officer.

Azra Masood, mother of Malik Taimur Masood, former provincial minister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Punjab, secured 73,694 votes without running any full political campaign. PTI voters mustered up their support and voted in favour of Azra in NA-54 and Saad Khan for the provincial assembly seat of PP-12 in Taxila. The newly-elected MNA from NA-54, Barrister Aqeel Malik, in his tweet wrote “Alhamdulillah” over his victory.

Azra, an independent candidate affiliated with PTI, said in her video message that she possessed Form 45 of all the polling stations, which showed that she had secured a majority of 50,000 to 60,000 votes, and alleged that the returning officer was not handing over the final results. She said she would protest over the unjustified changes made in the result of NA-54.

In PP-12, Mohsin Ayub from the PML-N clinched 41,138 votes as he contested elections for the provincial assembly for the first time. The runner-up was Saad, an independent candidate affiliated with PTI, who secured 35,108 votes.

Ammar Siddique Khan, nephew of Ghulam who contested the election from PP-12 on the IPP seat, secured 12,401 votes. Zeeshan Siddique Butt, an independent candidate who had allied with Ch Nisar after refusing a ticket from the PML-N, secured 9,768 votes.

In PP-13, Fahd Masood, an independent candidate and brother of former provincial minister Taimur Masood, clinched victory with the support of PTI workers. He secured victory for the provincial assembly seat for the first time. On all three seats, the new ones got victory and people rejected all old faces.

Originally published in The News