Wazirabad, renowned for its cutlery, is gearing up for its first general elections following its designation as a district. The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) claims credit for the district’s formation, while the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) is entering the electoral arena, emphasising its regional developmental initiatives.

Candidates from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) are criticising the performance of both PML-N and PTI.

Wazirabad district, with a population exceeding nine lakh 93 thousand, has been allocated one national seat (NA-66) and two provincial seats (PP-35 and PP-36).

Approximately six lakh 47 thousand votes are registered in this area, with around three lakh 46 thousand male and three lakh female voters.

Dr Nisar Ahmed Cheema of PML-N, Mohammad Ahmed Chattha, the son of former Speaker National Assembly Hamid Nasir Chattha from PTI, Chaudhry Ejaz Cheema Advocate from PPP, and Nasir Kalir from JI have emerged as candidates for the NA-66 constituency.

Wazirabad new delimitation 2023

2018 National Assembly Constituency NA-79 Gujranwala 1 Now NA-66 Wazirabad
This constituency encompasses the population of the recently established Wazirabad district, which was previously a tehsil of Gujranwala. It includes the urban and rural population of Wazirabad district, with no changes to its geographical boundaries.

2018 Provincial Constituency PP-51 Gujranwala 1 is now PP-35 Wazirabad 1
This constituency encompasses both the urban and rural populations of Wazirabad Tehsil. It includes the entire Wazirabad tehsil, excluding the town of Ahmednagar. The geographical boundaries remain largely unchanged, with only the removal of Kot Jaffar and Vandala Patwar circles from Kasbah Ahmednagar Kanun Go Constituency, which were part of this constituency in 2018.

2018 Provincial Constituency PP-52 Gujranwala 2 is now PP-36 Wazirabad 2
This constituency comprises Alipur Chattha Tehsil, Ahmednagar town and its nearby villages, with a population of 51 thousand from Wazirabad Tehsil. With the district status granted to Wazirabad, Alipur Chattha town has attained tehsil status. Additionally, Kot Jafar and Vandala Patwar circles from Kasba Ahmednagar of Wazirabad Tehsil have been included in this constituency.

On December 21, the police conducted a raid on Ahmed Chattha's camp to arrest him for his alleged involvement in vandalism and murder during the May 9 riots at Rahwali Cantt, Gujranwala. The police claim that Hamid Nasir Chattha and his associates at the camp aided the fugitive accused in escaping. The Ahmednagar police have also registered a case against Hamid Nasir Chattha and his other son, former Gujranwala District Nazim Fayyaz Chattha.

PP-35 covers areas including Gakhar, Alipur Chatha, Rasool Nagar, and neighbouring towns. Expected candidates for this constituency are former MPA Bilal Farooq Tarar from PML-N, former MPA Chaudhry Nasir Cheema from PTI, Sarfaraz Sahi from PPP, and Dr Obaidullah Gohar from JI.

Bilal Farooq Tarar’s brother, PML-N leader Atta Tarar, is attempting to secure a ticket for his brother from Gujranwala Constituency PP-59. Atta Tarar aims to nominate his close associate, Chaudhry Ansar Sindhu, for the party ticket in PP-35 Wazirabad, allowing him to maintain a presence in both constituencies. However, the party leadership has not decided on this matter.

PP-36 consists of Wazirabad city and surrounding villages. Candidates for this constituency include Talat Shaukat Cheema from PML-N, Muhammad Ahmed Chatha representing PTI, Chaudhry Ejaz Samman from PPP, and Mushtaq Butt of JI. Within PML-N, Imtiaz Azhar Bagri and Mustansar Ali Gondal are actively lobbying for the party ticket in this constituency.

Shaukat Manzoor Cheema won this provincial seat in the last election. He passed away on June 3, 2020.

In the by-election, PML-N nominated Talat Shaukat Cheema, the widow of the deceased, as a candidate, and she emerged victorious for this seat. She is now a candidate for the ticket again.

Wazirabad is a fertile area along the Chenab River. In 1778, conflicts battles were fought between Chattha Sardar Pir Muhammad and Maharaja Ranjit Singh's father, Sardar Mahan Singh. The goal was to secure dominance in the region, with Mahan Singh ultimately succeeding.

Against this historical backdrop, the lasting influence of the Chattha family endures in Wazirabad. The majority in Wazirabad belongs to the Jat community, with the ‘Cheema and Chattha’ sub-communities playing a key role in local politics. Elections, from the National Assembly to the Union Council, are mainly contested within these communities.

Hamid Nasir Chattha was successful in the non-party elections of 1985. He first became the Federal Minister and then the Speaker of the National Assembly. However, in 1988, he faced defeat at the hands of Colonel Ghulam Sarwar (retd) from the PPP, who was also a member of Benazir Bhutto’s cabinet.

In the following two years, Hamid Nasir Chattha achieved success once more, but a disagreement with Nawaz Sharif led him to contest the subsequent three elections under the banner of the Pakistan Muslim League-Junejo (PML-J). He emerged victorious in two elections but faced defeat in one against Ghulam Sarwar Cheema, who was then representing the PML-N.

In 2002, Hamid Nasir Chattha secured victory in the election, but his electoral fortunes declined from 2008 onwards. He and his sons faced successive defeats in elections, extending up to 2018, which included a by-election. Now, they are once again going to the public.

Given his extensive landholding and longstanding influence, Hamid Nasir Chattha is known for not personally approaching people for votes. Instead, landowners from the neighbouring areas visit his camp, pledging their loyalty. The responsibility for gathering votes from the voters falls on each village’s zamindar (landowner).

Nevertheless, in 2013, Hamid Nasir Chattha had to deviate from his traditional method of getting votes. He began attending corner meetings in villages to support his son, Mohammad Ahmed Chatha. This marked the first time that many community members saw him in person.

Justice retired Iftikhar Cheema emerged victorious over the Chattha family in two of the last three elections. In the third and most recent election, Iftikhar Cheema’s brother, Dr Nisar Cheema, defeated Mohammad Ahmad, the son of Hamid Nasir Chattha, who was a candidate for PTI. Dr Nisar, a retired DG Health, held the ticket for PML-N.

Justice retired Iftikhar Cheema emerged victorious over the Chattha family in two of the last three elections. In the third and most recent election, Iftikhar Cheema’s brother, Dr Nisar Cheema, defeated Mohammad Ahmad, the son of Hamid Nasir Chattha, who was a candidate for PTI. Dr Nisar, a retired DG Health, held the ticket for PML-N.

The traders at Allahwala Chowk have declared that they will no longer permit any political activities in the Chowk. Their decision stems from the disruption to their businesses for four to five months following the attack on the container.
NA-66 Wazirabad is one of the national seats in central Punjab that is drawing attention in the upcoming general elections.

The caretaker government of Punjab has appointed Umar Farooq Waraich as the first deputy commissioner of Wazirabad. His father, Amanullah Waraich, was the MPA of the PML-N from Gujranwala. Umar Farooq Waraich has also been granted the powers of District Returning Officer (DRO), which has raised reservations among some politicians.

Deputy Commissioner Umar Farooq Waraich, however, says that everyone is equal to him, and if anyone has any complaints, they can approach him directly.

On the other hand, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has released the polling scheme, indicating that 397 polling stations will be established in the district. Among these, 119 will be designated for male voters, 119 for female voters, and 159 as combined stations. Within the 1,319 polling booths, 625 are allocated for women and 694 for men.

Even with the election schedule out, there’s not much campaigning in the area. Political analyst Syed Zameer Kazmi suggests some candidates are busy securing tickets, and PTI members are hesitant to openly engage, fearing arrests.

“However, candidates from PPP and JI are actively engaging with voters. Nevertheless, as of now, the political camps of all candidates appear to be quiet,” he concludes.