LAHORE: Ghulam Mohiyuddin, a 70-year-old resident of Gawalmandi area of Lahore, said it does not matter whether Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif is in jail or freely running an election campaign to attract voters; he will put seal on the PML-N’s lion electoral symbol on Wednesday (July 25).
Gawalmandi is an old area of Lahore and the ancestors of Muhamad Nawaz Sharif migrated here from Amritsar-India in 1947, a year in which the subcontinent was divided into two separate states — India and Pakistan.
PML-N “leader for life” Nawaz Sharif started his political career from this area and has contested all elections from this constituency since 1988.
Sharif left this constituency for his nephew, Hamza Shahbaz Sharif, in 2008 as he was not allowed to contest elections after being convicted by the court in a plane hijacking case that was initiated against him during the government of military ruler Pervez Musharraf.
After acquittal from the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif again contested from NA 120, the number of the constituency, and won to become prime minister for the third time.
On his disqualification owing to a Supreme Court verdict in 2017, his spouse, Kulsoom Nawaz, contested the election and was victorious.
Three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif is now serving a 10-year jail term on the charges of “owning the assets beyond means” and barred for life from taking part in an election and holding any public office, but many of his constituents are still loyal to him.
“I do not know who is candidate in this area. My vote is for Nawaz Sharif and I will put a seal on the symbol of the lion,” Naeem Ahmad, a resident of Hindu Kuttry, told Arab News.
“Nawaz Sharif made our country an atomic power. His brother (Shahbaz Sharif) executed dozens of development projects. He is an industrialist by birth,” Kafeel Khan, another emotionally charged supporter of Nawaz Sharif, told Arab News.
“Nawaz Sharif was corrupt, that’s why he is in jail. Most of his supporters have shifted to the PTI and the rest will not come to vote for his candidate,” Khurram Hameed, a PTI supporter, told Arab News.
In Nawaz Sharif’s absence, his daughter Maryam Nawaz was the candidate from this constituency but she was also sentenced to jail and the party decided to field Waheed Alam Khan to face the PTI’s Dr. Yasmeen Rashed.
Rashed has lost to Nawaz Sharif and Kulsoom Nawaz in the past but is very optimistic about winning her seat this time.
“We lost the last election by a very thin margin. This time we are working hard to fill the gaps. Dr. Yasmeen Rashed will win for sure, as Nawaz’s absence will dent the PML-N’s strength,” Ahmad Waseem, provincial office-bearer of the PTI, told Arab News.
The PML-N has fielded Waheed Alam Khan who says that he may not be a strong candidate but the voters will cast vote for Nawaz Sharif.
“People of this constituency are not fighting for my victory, rather for Nawaz Sharif’s slogan ‘give respect to vote’. They will give votes to Nawaz, not to Waheed Alam. I will win the election in the name of Nawaz,” Waheed Alam told Arab News.
This constituency always sent Nawaz Sharif or a member of his family to the National Assembly of Pakistan. He became prime minister of the country three times after getting elected from here.
Analysts say that the candidates of religio-political parties could play a decisive role in Gawalmandi’s next representative at the National Assembly.
Nawaz Sharif’s lifetime constituency vows to vote for the lion, come what may
Nawaz Sharif’s lifetime constituency vows to vote for the lion, come what may
- PML-N election symbol is the lion
- Analysts say that the candidates of religio-political parties could play a decisive role in Gawalmandi’s next representative at the National Assembly
Pakistan says Afghan forces opened ‘unprovoked’ border fire, warns of retaliation
- Incident follows Pakistan’s weekend strikes on TTP and Daesh targets inside Afghanistan
- Escalation threatens fragile ceasefire along 2,600-km frontier linking South and Central Asia
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday accused Afghan Taliban forces of opening “unprovoked” fire along their shared border and warned that any further aggression would draw a swift response.
The latest exchange comes amid sharply rising tensions between the two neighbors following Pakistan’s weekend strikes targeting what it described as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Daesh militant camps inside Afghanistan. Kabul said the strikes killed civilians and condemned them as violations of its sovereignty, vowing to respond.
Cross-border violence has intensified since Pakistan blamed recent suicide bombings in Islamabad, Bajaur and Bannu on militants it says are based in Afghanistan. Islamabad maintains that militant safe havens across the border are driving a surge in attacks inside Pakistan, a charge Kabul denies.
Mosharraf Zaidi, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s spokesperson for foreign media, said Afghan forces opened fire near the Torkham border crossing and Tirah Valley in Pakistan’s northwest.
“Pakistan’s security forces responded immediately and effectively silencing the Taliban aggression,” he told Arab News. “Any further provocation will be responded to immediately and severely, god willing. Pakistan will continue to protect its citizens and guard its territorial integrity.”
The incident marks the second major escalation in less than a year. Similar Pakistani strikes last year triggered weeklong clashes before Qatar, Turkiye and other regional actors mediated a tenuous ceasefire in October.
The 2,600-kilometer (1,600-mile) frontier, a key trade and transit corridor linking Pakistan to landlocked Afghanistan and onward to Central Asia, has faced repeated closures amid tensions, disrupting commerce and humanitarian movement. Trade between the two nations has remained closed since October.
Analysts warn that sustained military exchanges risk undermining diplomatic efforts to stabilize ties, including a Saudi-mediated initiative earlier this month that secured the release of three Pakistani soldiers.
Separately on Tuesday, Prime Minister Sharif discussed the situation in Afghanistan with Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Saoud Al-Thani during talks in Doha, according to a statement from Sharif’s office. Both sides emphasized dialogue and de-escalation to promote regional stability.
