This area was carved out of the Mianwali district and declared a new district in 1981. The Nivanis, Shahanis, Dhandlas and Khanankhels are the district’s dominant political families. Bhakkar boasted a voter turnout of some 62 per cent in 2002, easily the highest in the Punjab. One of the beneficiaries of this turnout was Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who polled more than 100,000 votes from one of the two National Assembly constituencies here.

Of late, Bhakkar has achieved another distinction: Qazi Waqar Ahmed, an additional district and sessions judge, quit in April 2007 to protest the sacking of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. Another personality of the district, outgoing provincial minister for sports and culture, Naeemullah Shahani, also ensured that Bhakkar was in the headlines in the not so distant past. Shahani created a media furore in January 2004 when he was reported to have been kidnapped in the North Waziristan Agency.

Constituencies:

NA73:

Mohammad Sanaullah Mastikhel of the PMLQ won this seat in 2002, beating Abdul Majeed Khan Khanankhel of the PMLN by 35,000 votes. Mastikhel later joined the PMLN and is now the party’s candidate from this constituency. PMLQ had awarded its ticket to Khanankhel, but he has since decided to contest as an independent candidate. PPP has fielded Tariq Khan Niazi.





NA74:

Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, president of the PMLQ, won almost 59 per cent of the total vote here in 2002, a good 32,000 votes ahead of Mohammad Afzal Khan Dhandla of the PMLN. This time around the PMLQ had nominated Rasheed Akbar Khan Nivani but he decided to contest the election as an independent candidate. PMLN has retained its 2002 candidate. However, this is one of those rare constituencies in the country where the PPP has fielded no candidate.