FAISALABAD, Sept 30: A triangular contest is expected in NA-82 among PPP’s Capt Nisar Akbar Khan (retired), PML-N’s Sahibzada Fazal Karim and PML-QA’s Syed Nasir Ali Shah.

This urban constituency whose major areas were part of previously demarcated NA-63 comprises Sidhupura, Faizabad, Kanak Basti, Jameel Town, Rehmat Town, Akbarabad, Ali Town, Usman Town, Crescent Colony, Mustafaabad, Gulistan Colony, Rafique Colony, Islam Nagar, New Civil Lines, Hajveri Town, Ahmadabad, Rehmatabad, Nishatabad, Jameelabad, Hajiabad, Ghaziabad, Tariqabad, Nighebanpura, Chibban, Abdullahpur and Mansoorabad.

The Maliks, the Jats, the Rajputs and the Rehmanis are the major biradaris with traces of the Ansaris.

In all the previous elections from 1985 till 1997, this seat was always secured by the Ansaris. The year 1998 was the only exception when PPP’s Nisar Akbar won this seat by defeating Muhammad Akram Ansari of the IJI.

In the 1990 elections, the PPP awarded its ticket to Malik Ahmad Saeed Awan, but he lost to Akram Ansari.

In 1997, the PPP preferred Riaz Ahmad Ansari, a councillor of the defunct FMC, to Capt Nisar Akbar (retired) while the PML-N nominee was again Akram Ansari who defeated his opponent.

For the forthcoming elections, the PPP has pitted Nisar Akbar Khan against PML-N’s ex-MPA Sahibzada Fazal Karim and Syed Nasir Ali Shah of the PML-QA. The other candidates are Musharraf Ali Khan (PTI), Sardar Zafar Hussain advocate (MMA), Mian Ibrar Ahmed (PAT) and two independents — Prof Dr Jameel Ahmad and Rana Bilal Ahmad.

Earlier, the PML-QA had awarded its ticket to former senator Tariq Chaudhry but his nomination papers were rejected and Nasir Ali Shah succeeded in getting the ticket.

Nasir hails from the famous landlord and religious family of Rajoya Syeda, Chiniot. However, he has been residing in the Civil Lines area of Faisalabad for the last four decades. Zafar Ali Shah brother of Nasir, contested the previous local elections and was elected the deputy mayor of the defunct FMC. Nasir is contesting the elections for the first time and is mainly banking upon the influence of Shia community in the constituency.

PML-N nominee Sahibzada Fazal Karim is the son of renowned religious and spiritual leader Hazrat Maulana Sardar Ahmad, the founder of the Ahle Sunnat Jamaat. Over hundred mosques and religious seminaries are running in the district under the district command of Sahibzada Fazal Karim. He was elected MPA in the 1997 elections from PP-55 which now falls under this NA constituency. He was made the provincial minister in the Shahbaz cabinet due to his personal terms with the Sharif family.

Fazal Karim is motivating PML-N sympathizers besides a good number of students of Brailvi religious seminaries and notables of the Jat biradari are also actively involved in his campaign.

Nisar Akbar Khan, the PPP nominee, belongs to a respectable Rajput family of Hoshiarpur district, India. He is the son of Ch Ali Akbar Khan who had been one of the respected politicians of 60’s. He was an MLA in 1940, 1952, and 1964 and was ambassador to Saudi Arabia, a federal minister for education and interior during the late Gen Ayub’s rule. He also played an important role in the rehabilitation of mohajirs in the district and its adjoining areas and helped them in allotting lands and solving their other problems.

Capt Nisar (retired) had an outstanding record in the army and was awarded sword of honour. He first entered in politics in 1970 when he contested elections on a national assembly seat on the PML ticket, but he lost. Later, he joined the PPP and won the elections in 1977.

Political circles expect a neck-and-neck battle among the candidates of the PPP, PML-QA and PML-N. The chances of the PPP candidate may become bright, provided he succeeds in motivating the party workers to demonstrate their ballot strength on the polling day. Right now, PPP workers are not seen in their traditional mood due to which Sahibzada Fazal Karim has an edge.