Geographically and culturally part of the Potohar region, Islamabad was built during the 1960s to replace Karachi as the capital. A large section of the population of Islamabad consists of government servants who came to reside in the city from different parts of the country. Therefore Islamabad has a population of different ethnic backgrounds including Punjabi, Pashtun, Sindhi and Urdu-speaking people. There are two National Assembly constituencies within the capital territory. PPP, PMLN and the PMLQ have a sizeable following in Islamabad. The two prominent politicians Islamabad has produced are Haji Nawaz Khokhar of the Muslim League, who was elected deputy speaker of the National Assembly during Nawaz Sharif’s first term, and Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari of the PPP.





Constituencies

NA 48

This constituency comprises mostly of the federal capital’s urban area. Most voters in this constituency are government servants. In the post-General Ziaul Haq period, election to this seat was either secured by the PPP or the PMLN. However in the last general elections, quite unexpectedly the MMA won.

This time the PPP has awarded its ticket to a known political worker, Dr Israr Shah. PMLQ has awarded a ticket to a resident of the area, Rizwan Sadiq, and the PMLN’s ticket has gone to Anjam Aqeel. Azeem Chaudhry is contesting as an independent candidate. Analysts are predicting a triangular fight between the candidates of the PPP, PMLQ and PMLN.

NA 49

PPP candidate, Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari, who won this seat by a comfortable margin of 17,000 votes in 2002, is contesting this time too. His opponent will again be Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar who lost to Bokhari in 2002 as an independent candidate. This time Khokhar, who is the son of former deputy speaker of the National Assembly and an old Leaguer, Haji Nawaz Khokhar, is contesting on PMLQ’s ticket. Bokhari has the support of the Pirs of Golra. PMLN has again awarded its ticket to Tariq Fazal Chaudhry. In 2002, Chaudhry secured more than 16,000 votes. The main contest is likely to take place between the PPP and the PMLQ.