SARGODHA, Feb 20: The three districts of defunct Sargodha division — Khushab, Mianwali and Bhakkar — have sent most of the independent candidates to parliament. All these independents defeated the former ruling party candidates cashing in on public resentment against the former regime for a host of crises.

Those who won the ballot ground have been easily accessible and took interest in the development of their areas.

In Mianwali, former ministers Sher Afgan and Gul Hameed Rokhari lost their battle against youngsters Humair Hayat Rokhari and Ali Haider Noor Khan.

Four National Assembly (NA) seats were captured by independents in Mianwali and Bhakkar districts. In all the four districts of Sargodha division, 11 Provincial Assembly (PA) seats, out of a total of 22, were captured by independents while Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) candidates claimed five PA seats in Sargodha.

In Bhakkar, the PML-N got one PA seat. Only the PML-N had fielded its candidates for all the two NA and four PAs seats in Bhakkar district but could grab PP-47.

Even though PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif’s pro-judiciary move influenced the voters at large, independents in Mianwali and Khushab managed to subdue the PML-N popularity wave mainly because of local groupings.

The voters, however, registered their hatred against former ruling party candidates by throwing out PML-Q tagged people.

PML-N hopeful for NA 71 and 72 Inamullah Niazi could not make to the assembly due to his absence from the constituency after losing the 2002 elections.

Sher Afgan lost the polls from NA 72 to Humair Hayat Rokhari, a new entrant to politics, though the margin was very close. The Rokhari group made the most of rifts in the Afgan group.

Malik Ammad Khan, the grandson of late Malik Ameer Muhammad Khan, emerged victorious in NA-71 defeating Amanatullah Shadi Khel.

Ammad is the cousin of former federal minister Sumeera Malik who won narrowly from NA-69 (Khushab) after she really worked hard in her constituency in the last week of elections.

But her neighbouring constituency, NA-70, went to the PML-N nominee Malik Shakir Bashir Awan breaking the fold of the Tiwana family.

In Sargodha, three previous MNAs returned successful in 2008 and they are: Tasneem Ahmed Qureshi from NA-66, Chaudhry Anwar Ali Cheema NA-67 and Chaudhry Ghias Ahmed Mela from NA-65. Among them Qureshi is from the PPP, while Cheema and Meal are from the PML-Q.

PPP nominees Nadeem Afzal Chan inflicted a crushing defeat to PML-Q’s Mian Haroon Ehsan Paracha from NA-64. District Nazim Inaamul Haq Paracha is the uncle of Haroon.

The Parachas have traditionally been part of the PPP but they parted way from their party in 2005 when the former regime offered them the slot of district nazim in return of changing loyalty.

They got the slot but could not stand the wrath of the public for ditching their party for their personal gains.

Cheema registered his consecutive seventh victory. PML-N got NA-68 but its nominee Syed Javed Hasnain faces uncertainty because of his degree issue pending before the Lahore High Court.

The court allowed him to contest the election conditionally.