PML-N is accused of abandoning principles as ticket distribution allegedly favors hypocrites, with the father-in-law of Farah Gogi and the former brother-in-law of Bushra Bibi being awarded PML-N tickets without a second thought.
In the past, PML-N has run a vigorous campaign against Farah Gogi and Bushra Bibi, alleging their involvement in various financial scandals, yet tickets are awarded to their close relatives.
PML-N critics have targeted Farah Gogi and Bushra Bibi, the wife of Imran Khan, accusing them of being responsible for corruption within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. However, it is interesting that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has nominated Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal, the father-in-law of Farah Gogi and the brother of the former husband of Bushra Bibi, for the upcoming elections on February 8, 2024.
Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal Gujjar, affiliated with Gujranwala, is perhaps one of the unique politicians in Pakistan who has participated in 9 elections, facing defeat only once. He is directly related to Farah Gogi, the sister-in-law of Imran Khan. Born on July 6, 1943, in Gordaspur, India, he graduated from Government College Sheikhupura in 1963 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.
In the 1985 general elections, he was elected from PP-137 Gujranwala to the Punjab Provincial Assembly. He served in the cabinet of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as the Provincial Minister for Revenue, Relief, and Consolidation. In the 1988 elections, he was again elected from PP-85 Gujranwala and served as the Provincial Minister for Information in Nawaz Sharif’s cabinet.
In the 1990 elections, he secured his third term in the Punjab Provincial Assembly from PP-85 Gujranwala as a candidate of the Islamic Democratic Alliance (IDA) and served as the Provincial Minister for Agriculture in Chief Minister Ghulam Haider Wyne’s cabinet.
Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal continued his political career, and in the 1993 elections, he was once again elected from PP-85 Gujranwala as a candidate of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for the fourth time.
His political journey continued, and in the 2002 elections, he secured a victory from PP-98 Gujranwala as a candidate of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q). From January 2003 to November 2006, he served as the Provincial Minister for Food in Punjab. In December 2006, he was appointed as the Provincial Minister for Health.
However, his seventh attempt in the 2008 elections from PP-98 as a PML-Q candidate resulted in his defeat, facing the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate. Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal participated in the 2013 elections as a PML-N candidate from PP-98 Gujranwala and became a member of the Punjab Provincial Assembly for the eighth time.
In the 2018 elections, he contested and won from PP-63 Gujranwala as a PML-N candidate, becoming a member of the Punjab Provincial Assembly for the ninth time. After his successful election, the PML-N nominated him for the position of Speaker of the Punjab Provincial Assembly. On August 16, 2018, he secured 147 votes, defeating Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, who obtained 201 votes.
Ahmed Raza Maneka, the younger brother of Khawar Maneka, the former husband of Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, has also been given a ticket by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
In 2018, Ahmed Raza Maneka was elected to the National Assembly on a PML-N ticket. It is said that until the day before receiving the ticket, he was the local president of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
Before this, Ahmed Raza Maneka was elected to the National Assembly in 2002 as a candidate of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q). In 2008, he was also a PML-Q candidate, but he faced defeat at the hands of PTI’s candidate Salman Mohsin Gillani.
Before the 2013 elections, he attempted to join the PML-N and even had a meeting with Nawaz Sharif. However, due to the dissatisfaction of the PML-N’s local candidate Mohsin Gillani, he returned to the PML-Q the next day.
By MediaBites
