Muzaffargarh may be backward in terms of development but has dominated Punjab politics since the 1950s. Nawab Mushtaq Gurmani introduced Muzaffargarh to national politics when he signed the Karachi Agreement of 1949 that established the ceasefire line (Line of Control) dividing the Kashmir region.

Apart from his posts as chief executive for the Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas Ministry and governor of Punjab, he was also Pakistan’s interior minister from 1951 till 1954. During the PPP government of the 1970s, Muzaffargarh was represented by Ghulam Mustafa Khar who served as chief minister and Punjab governor. Meanwhile, Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan also made Muzaffargarh proud — through his opposition politics.

Since parliamentary politics resumed in 1988, after the long hiatus that was Gen Zia’s dictatorship, the politics of Muzaffargarh’s four tehsils has been dominated by the Khars, the Nawab family, the Hinjras, the Dastis, the Qureshis, the Jatois and the Gopangs. There are five National Assembly and 11 provincial assembly seats from Muzaffargarh.

In the 2008 elections, all NA and six PA seats were won by the PPP that included personalities that shot to prominence including Hina Rabbani Khar and Jamshed Dasti. - Photos/captions by Reuters, text by Tehseen Raza Malik/Dawn Newspaper