In a surprising development, the NA-148 (Multan) constituency has seen the politically influential factions of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and its arch-rival Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) forming an alliance to defeat the Pakistan People’s Party’s Ali Qasim Gilani in the by-poll.
The seat, previously held by the PPP’s former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, became vacant after his resignation to contest for a Senate seat, which he won, and later became chairman of the upper house.
Despite efforts by Malik Ahmad Hasan Dehar and Sikandar Bosan to secure the PML-N ticket for the by-election, the party’s coalition with the PPP at the federal and provincial levels led to the denial of their requests.
As the by-election nears, NA-148 has become a focal point for all political parties. After Mr Dehar withdrew his nomination papers as per his party’s direction, his top supporters are actively campaigning for the PTI candidate Taimur Altaf Malik in the constituency. The Bosan group, led by Sikandar Bosan, has also publicly declared support for PTI’s Taimur Malik after holding a press conference with PTI MNA Zain Qureshi, defying their party’s policy.
However, the PML-N’s local leadership, comprising its district office-bearers, has announced support for the PPP candidate, following the direction of the party’s high command, which has somewhat improved Qasim Gilani’s position.
Mr Gilani stated that the coalition between the PPP and the PML-N would continue in both Centre and Punjab.
The local PML-N leaders, including district president Bilal Butt, have pledged active support for Gilani and warned non-compliant party members, who are supporting the PTI candidate, of disciplinary action.
PPP MPA Malik Asif Mazhar Ra has been actively campaigning for Mr Gilani.
Political analysts suggest that urban voters in the constituency would lean towards the PTI, while those in rural regions like Muzaffarabad Union Council and Sher Shah would strongly support Gilani. This rural-urban divide highlights the intense competition in the upcoming by-poll.
The analysts also observe a growing momentum for the Gilani group, as many workers from the Bosan and Dehar factions are shifting their support to the PPP candidate, following their initial endorsement of the PTI hopeful. They note that even young voters of the PTI are not actively campaigning for the party candidate.
They believe that the Gilani group will benefit from initiatives like the establishment of a Benazir Income Support Centre in the constituency, particularly in winning over women voters.
With a total of 213,333 registered voters in NA-148, including 111,639 male and 101,694 female voters, the by-election is poised to be a critical test of the coalition government’s strength and unity.
