The town of Toba Tek Singh was developed by the British towards the end of the eighteenth century, when they built a canal system that attracted settlers from around the populous province. However, it acquired the status of a district in 1982 when it was carved out of the district of Faisalabad. At present it comprises the tehsils of Gojra, Kamalia and Toba Tek Singh.

Toba Tek Singh was made famous by the celebrated author Saadat Hasan Manto’s story, which shares the town’s name, and by the conferences held here by left-wing farmers and workers in the 1960s and 1970s. The famous political families of this Arain-dominated district include the Kharals, Rajputs and Syeds.

Constituencies:

NA92:

Amjad Ali Warraich of the PMLJ won this seat in 2002, beating Mohammad Hamza of the PMLN and the PPP’s Haji Mohammad Ishaq. As Warraich’s nomination papers for the 2008 polls were rejected, the PMLQ ticket went to his wife, Begum Farkhanda. PPP’s candidate is Chaudhry Khalid Bashir who is the son of a former parliamentarian, the late Chaudhry Bashir Khan. PMLN is fielding Hamza once again.

NA93:

Independent candidate Mohammad Farhan Latif trounced former interior secretary Hafizullah Ishaq of the PPP here in 2002. Latif was supported by the PMLQ. The party is now fielding his cousin, Mian Kashif Ashfaq. PPP has retained its candidate and the PMLN has fielded Junaid Anwar Chaudhry.

NA94:

Independent candidate Riaz Fatiana won this seat in 2002, beating former information minister and PPP candidate Khalid Ahmed Khan Kharal by over 14,000 votes. Asadur Rehman of the PMLN, the brother of deposed

Supreme Court judge Khalilur Rehman Ramday, stood second. Fatiana will hope to repeat his victory in February, as the PMLQ candidate. This time he faces Kharal’s son Haider, who is represnting the PPP. PMLN ticket has again gone to Rehman.