POLITICIANs FROM MIANWALI

MIANWALI HISTORY OF POLITICS AND POLITICIAN STARTS FROM THE DAY MIANWALI WAS MADE DISTRICT ON 9 NOVEMBER 1901.

TIME LINE OF MIANWALI POLITICS

MIANWALI’S PRE-PARTITION POLITICS WAS A CLASSICAL REFLECTION OF MUSLIM LEAGUE-UNIONIST CONFLICT IN PUNJAB. MOST OF THE TRIBAL SARDARS WERE UNIONIST WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ROKHRI FAMILY.

IN 1945-46 ELECTIONS FOR PROVINCIAL LEGISLATURE, TWO MUSLIM SEATS WERE ALLOTTED TO THE DISTRICT. YOUNG AND VIBRANT MUSLIM LEAGUE LEADER MAULANA ABDUL SATTAR KHAN NIAZI, WHO BELONGED TO A MIDDLE CLASS FAMILY, DEFEATED UNIONIST KHALIQ DAD KHAN WITH A MARGIN OF MORE THAN 4,000 VOTES OUT OF A TOTAL 12,000 POLLED VOTES. HOWEVER, MUSLIM LEAGUE WAS NOT FORTUNATE ENOUGH ON THE OTHER SEAT AND UNIONIST ABDULLAH KHAN OVERPOWERED HIS MUSLIM LEAGUER RIVAL AMIR ABDULLAH KHAN ROKHRI THOUGH WITH A SLIGHT MARGIN OF JUST 200 VOTES.

IN 1950-51 ELECTIONS FOR THE PUNJAB ASSEMBLY, SIX SEATS WERE ALLOTTED TO THE THEN HUGE MIANWALI DISTRICT THAT INCLUDED THE PRESENT DAY DISTRICT OF BHAKKAR. BY THEN FAMOUS LEAGUE ACTIVIST AMIR ABDULLAH KHAN HAD JOINED THE DISSIDENT GROUP CALLED JINNAH AWAMI LEAGUE. IT WAS ALMOST DUE TO HIS INFLUENCE THAT THREE SEATS WERE WON BY THE JINNAH LEAGUE WITH FATEH SHER, MUHAMMAD AFZAL AND AMIR ABDULLAH HIMSELF RETURNING TO THE LEGISLATURE. MAULANA ABDUL SATTAR KHAN NIAZI HAD ALSO DEVELOPED DIFFERENCES WITH LEAGUE LEADERSHIP AND CONTESTED ELECTIONS AS AN INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE DEFEATING LEAGUE CANDIDATE MUHAMMAD AZIM. THE OTHER TWO SEATS WERE CLINCHED BY NAWAB OF KALABAGH AMIR MUHAMMAD KHAN AND MALIK MUZAFFAR KHAN, AN AWAN OF WAN BACHRAN. THE POLITICS OF MIANWALI IS REVOLVING AROUND THESE POLITICAL FAMILIES SINCE THEN WITH THE ADDITION OF A FEW NEW PLAYERS. NAWAB OF KALABAGH AMIR MUHAMMAD KHAN REPUTED AS HAVING AN IMPOLITE PERSONALITY AND A HARSH MANAGER WAS A MEMBER OF SECOND CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY OF PAKISTAN. HE REMAINED EPICENTER OF CONTROVERSY DURING GENERAL AYUB’S ERA WHEN HE WAS MADE PUNJAB GOVERNOR AND THE OPPONENTS CLAIMED POLITICAL PERSECUTION. HIS ELDEST SON NAWAB MUZAFFAR KHAN WAS ELECTED TO PARLIAMENT IN THE INDIRECT 1965 ELECTIONS. KALABAGH NAWABS ARE AWANS, WHO MAKE A FRACTION OF MIANWALI POPULATION.

BY THE 1970 ELECTIONS MAULANA ABDUL SATTAR KHAN NIAZI HAD JOINED JAMIAT ULEMA-E-PAKISTAN (JUP). NAWAB MUZAFFAR KHAN DEFEATED MAULANA WITH A SLIGHT MARGIN OF OVER 1,000 VOTES. MIANWALI HAD TWO NA SEATS IN THESE FIRST EVER ADULT-FRANCHISED BASED GENERAL ELECTIONS IN THE COUNTRY. THE SECOND SEAT WAS WON BY CONVENTION MUSLIM LEAGUE’S GHULAM HASSAN KHAN WITH THE JUP CANDIDATE BEING A RUNNER-UP. MIANWALI WAS ONE OF THE VERY FEW DISTRICTS OF THE COUNTRY, WHERE PPP INFLUENCE REMAINED INSIGNIFICANT IN 1970 ELECTIONS. THERE WAS NO RUNNER-UP OR WINNER FROM THE PPP.

BY THE TIME OF 1977 ELECTIONS BOTH MALIKS OF KALABAGH AND ROKHRI FAMILIES HAD JOINED PPP AND NAWAB MUZAFFAR KHAN AND AMIR ABDULLAH ROKHRI WON BOTH THE SEATS DESPITE THAT PAKISTAN NATIONAL ALLIANCE HAD PITTED THEIR BEST BET ON BOTH THE SEATS; MAULANA ABDUL SATTAR KHAN NIAZI. BOTH THE WINNERS OF 1977 ELECTIONS MET DEFEAT IN 1985 NON-PARTY GENERAL ELECTIONS. NAWAB MUZAFFAR KHAN LOST THESE ELECTIONS TO MAQBOOL AHMED KHAN WITH THE LATTER ENJOYING THE ACTIVE SUPPORT OF MAULANA ABDUL SATTAR KHAN NIAZI. ON THE OTHER SEAT OF THE DISTRICT, A NEW ENTRANT SHER AFGAN NIAZI OVERPOWERED ROKHRI FAMILY’S AMIR HAYAT KHAN AFTER A VERY TIGHT RACE. THE RESULTS WERE HOWEVER REVERSED BY AN ELECTION TRIBUNAL FOLLOWING AN ELECTION PETITION BY ROKHRI. THE 1988 ELECTIONS WERE ALMOST A REPLICATION OF 1985 WITH BOTH THE RUNNER-UPS OF 1985 ONCE AGAIN FACING THE DEFEAT AT THE HANDS OF THEIR RIVALS. RUNNER-UP AMIR HAYAT KHAN HAD GOT A TICKET FROM IJI WHILE MALIK MUZAFFAR CONTESTED ELECTIONS AS INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IN WINNERS WAS THAT MAQBOOL AHMED KHAN WAS REPLACED BY MAULANA NIAZI HIMSELF. SHER AFGAN SETTLED THE SCORE OF HIS LEGAL DEFEAT. BOTH THE WINNERS MAULANA AND SHER AFGAN CONTESTED ON THE TICKETS OF A RELATIVELY UNKNOWN ALLIANCE PAKISTAN AWAMI ITTEHAD (PAI). IT IS UNDERSTANDABLE THAT THE VICTORY BELONGED TO THEIR PERSONAL CHARISMA AND NOT PAI AS THE ALLIANCE MANAGED TO WIN JUST A SINGLE SEAT OUTSIDE MIANWALI.DR SHER AFGAN JOINED PPP AFTER 1988 ELECTIONS AND CONTESTED POLLS FROM ITS PLATFORM IN 1990 FROM BOTH THE MIANWALI SEATS ONLY TO BE DEFEATED BY IJI’S MAULANA ABDUL SATTAR NIAZI AND GUL HAMEED ROKHRI.MAULANA ABDUL SATTAR KHAN NIAZI WAS NOT FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO WIN 1993 ELECTIONS FROM THE PML-N PLATFORM AND LOST TO HIS ERSTWHILE COMRADE AND NOW AN INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE SHER AFGAN. WHILE IN THE OTHER CONSTITUENCY OBAIDULLAH KHAN FROM RISING SHADIKHEL FAMILY DEFEATED GUL HAMEED ROKHRI. IN THIS CONSTITUENCY MAULANA NIAZI STOOD AT THIRD POSITION.

IN 1997 ELECTIONS PML-N COMPLETED CLEAN SWEEP IN THE DISTRICT WINNING BOTH ITS SEATS. MAQBOOL AHMED KHAN AND INAMULLAH KHAN NIAZI GOT RETURNED TO THE ASSEMBLY WHILE OBAIDULLAH KHAN SHADIKHEL,WHO REPRESENTED DISSIDENT PML GROUP IN THESE ELECTIONS, AND SHER AFGAN WHO HAD JOINED PPP ONCE AGAIN REMAINED RUNNER-UPS. PAKISTAN TEHREEK-E-INSAF CHIEF IMRAN KHAN ALSO TRIED HIS LUCK FROM A MIANWALI CONSTITUENCY IN 1997 AND COULD MANAGE TO WIN THE APPROVAL OF JUST 18,000 VOTERS STANDING THIRD IN THE RACE.

IN 2002 ELECTIONS, IMRAN KHAN, HOWEVER, CLINCHED VICTORY, THAT WAS HIS PARTY’S FIRST AND LAST SO FAR. HE DEFEATED PML-Q CANDIDATE OBAIDULLAH KHAN SHADIKHEL FROM NA 71. ON THE OTHER SEAT DR SHER AFGAN OF PPP MANAGED TO EASILY DEFEAT A RELATIVELY LESS KNOWN CONTENDER MALIK FEROZ JOYA OF PML-Q AND HIS RIVAL INAMULLAH KHAN NIAZI OF PML-N. DR SHER AFGAN LATER JOINED PML-Q TO BECOME AN ARDENT ADVOCATE OF GENERAL MUSHARRAF EARNING NOTORIETY FOR HIS MANIPULATION OF CONSTITUTION IN FAVOR OF THE MILITARY DICTATOR. IMRAN MAY HAVE RETAINED HIS MIANWALI SEAT IN 2008 BUT HE ANNOUNCED TO BOYCOTT THESE ELECTIONS GIVING A CHANCE TO NAWABS OF KALABAGH TO RECLAIM THEIR ONCE EMPIRE LIKE CONSTITUENCY. NAWAB AMAD KHAN DEFEATED AMANATULLAH KHAN SHADIKHEL ON THIS SEAT. BOTH THE WINNER AND RUNNER-UP WERE INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES. INAMULLAH KHAN NIAZI OF PML-N COULD GET ONLY 2,100 VOTES FROM THIS CONSTITUENCY. ON NA-72, HOWEVER, INAMULLAH KHAN NIAZI PERFORMED BETTER THOUGH HIS TALLIES FELL SHORT OF INDEPENDENT WINNER HUMAIR HAYAT KHAN ROKHRI AND PML-Q’S SHER AFGAN NIAZI. HUMAIR BAGGED 49 THOUSAND, AFGAN 47 THOUSAND AND INAM 46 THOUSAND VOTES. THE TRANSPORT TYCOON, ROKHRI FAMILY SWITCHED LOYALTY TO PML-N. THEY HAD ENJOYED MINISTRIES AND NAZIM SLOTS IN THE PREVIOUS TERM WITH THE SUPPORT OF PML-Q. THE ARDENT PML-N LEADER INAMULLAH KHAN NIAZI FROM THE AREA PROTESTED AGAINST THIS. THE TURN OUT IN DISTRICT WAS 47 PER CENT IN 2002, WHICH ROSE TO 52.5 PER CENT IN 2008 ELECTIONS. THERE ARE FOUR PROVINCIAL CONSTITUENCIES IN THE DISTRICT NAMELY PP-43, PP-44, PP-45 AND PP-46. ROKHRI FAMILY IS TRADITIONALLY MORE INTERESTED IN PROVINCIAL LEGISLATURE. IN 2002, GUL HAMEED ROKHRI WAS ELECTED FROM TWO SEATS PP-44 AND PP-45 ON PML-Q TICKETS. THE OTHER TWO SEATS WERE ALSO WON BY THE SAME PARTY WITH AMANATULLAH KHAN SHADIKHEL WINNING PP-43 WHILE WON ON SIBTAIN KHAN PP-46. PTI FIELDED ITS CANDIDATE ONLY IN PP-43 AND GOT AROUND 18,000 VOTES TO BECOME RUNNER-UP. SYED GM SHAH OF PPP AND MALIK MUMTAZ BHACHAR OF PML-N GAVE TOUGH TIME TO GUL HAMEED ROKHRI ON PP-44 AND PP-45 RESPECTIVELY.IN 2008 ELECTIONS MOST OF THE POLITICAL FIGURES PREFERRED TO REMAIN INDEPENDENT OF PARTY AFFILIATIONS.RESULTANTLY, IN PP-43 AN INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE ABDUL HAFEEZ KHAN GOT ELECTED AFTER A TIGHT CONTEST WITH AMANATULLAH KHAN SHADIKHEL WHO HIMSELF WAS RUNNING AS AN INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE. HE WAS THE WINNER OF CONSTITUENCY IN PREVIOUS ELECTIONS UNDER THE BANNER OF PML-Q. AMIR HAYAT KHAN OF ROKHRI FAMILY ALSO FOLLOWED THE SAME TRACK AND GOT ELECTED FROM PP-44 AS INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE. THE RUNNER-UP HERE WAS ALSO AN INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE. THE WINNER OF PREVIOUS ELECTIONS IN PP-46 SIBTAIN KHAN HOWEVER DID NOT OPT TO GO INDEPENDENT AND CONTESTED ELECTIONS ON PML-Q TICKET BUT WAS DEFEATED BY AN INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE FEROZ JOYA WITH A MARGIN OF OVER 7,000 VOTES. THE MIANWALI CITY AND WAN BACHRAN TOWN SEAT, PP-45, SPRANG A BIG SURPRISE IN RATHER MUNDANE 2008 ELECTIONS IN THE DISTRICT. THE MMA CANDIDATE DEFEATED HERE BOTH THE PML-Q AND THE PML-N CANDIDATES. PML-Q CANDIDATE WAS NONE OTHER THAN GUL HAMEED ROKHRI WHO REMAINED RUNNER-UP. THE WINNER GOT 22,500 VOTES, ROKHRI 19,000 WHILE PML-N CANDIDATE AHMED KHAN MANAGED OVER 16,000 VOTES, PLAYING A DECISIVE ROLE IN THE DEFEAT OF ROKHRI. THE MMA VICTORY IN MIANWALI HAS BEEN ASTONISHING FOR THE OBSERVERS AS ELSEWHERE IN THE COUNTRY THESE ELECTIONS PROVED TO BE DEVASTATING FOR THE RELIGIOUS ALLIANCE. CRITICS SEE IT AS A GROWING APPROVAL OF RELIGIOUS FORCES IN THE DISTRICTS BORDERING WITH KPK AND FAILURE OF POLITICAL FIGURES IN ADDRESSING THE ISSUES OF PEOPLE.

IN THIS SECTION OF SITE WE INTENDED TO PROVIDE THE VISITORS WITH VALUABLE INFORMATION ABOUT THE MIANWALI POLITICS AND POLITICIANS HISTORY, PROCESSES, POLITICAL PERSONALITIES ETC.THANKS

TIME LINE OF MIANWALI POLITICS

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