Iqbal Manzil – birthplace of national poet Muhammad Allama Iqbal is situated in the heart of Sialkot city. The government bought Iqbal Manzil in 1971 and handed it over to the Archaeology Department which declared the building a heritage site. This year, on the 138th birth anniversary of Iqbal, several Indian publishers donated 123 books on the life, poetry, philosophy, and Iqbal’s role in the struggle for Pakistan, to Iqbal Manzil. Syed Riaz Hussain Naqvi, who has been curator of the museum since 1986, says there are more than 4,200 books at the library in Iqbal Manzil. PHOTO: FILE
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is looking to sweep clean the third phase of local government elections in Sialkot district on December 5.
The party had earlier swept the 2013 general elections – all five MNAs and 11 MPAs from Sialkot are PML-N members. Federal Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif is among the prominent lawmakers from Sialkot.
Several PML-N workers and lawmakers say that they are not expecting much competition from other political parties. Independent candidates are the only group that might give PML-N ticket holders competition, they say. “That too because most of the independents are PML-N workers passed over for party tickets for the election.”
MPA Manshaullah Butt says the election campaign was in full swing. “Our candidates have been running strong political campaigns…we will, once again, prove that Sialkot is a bastion of the PML-N.”
Muhammad Asif Bajwa, another MPA from Sialkot says the PML-N is expecting to win more than 100 seats of the total 124 seats in Sialkot district. He says even if independent candidates win the rest, they would join the party later. “Most of them are PML-N workers. Some of them could give PML-N ticket holders a tough time.”
When asked whether they were expecting much competition from the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) or the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), he says, “No.”
Mirza Hamid, a Sialkot resident, says “Sialkot is an industrial city famous for its surgical instruments and sports goods. The businessmen here are inclined to support the PML-N because it facilitates them in a number of ways…there isn’t much of a chance that the support would dwindle during local government elections.”
Tariq Subhani, another MPA from Sialkot, says they were expecting some competition from the PTI in certain union councils. “The PTI, however, is in no position to win majority seats. The election is basically between PML-N’s ticket holders and those who were passed over for party tickets…in some places, PML-N ticket holders can win without as much as lifting a finger.”
He says the PML-N-led government has delivered on its promises in the district. “Most of the people of Sialkot are die-hard League supporters.”
PTI and PPP office bearers from Sialkot district and the provincial leaderships were either unavailable for comment or refused to discuss the situation in Sialkot.
There are 2,011,912 registered voters in Sialkot district – 1,165,351 men and 846,561 women. The Election Commission of Pakistan has appointed 1,544 presiding officers at polling stations in the district. There are 575 candidates running for 124 chairman-vice chairman union council panels in Sialkot district. Of these, 78 are contesting for the municipal corporation which has 24 chairman-vice chairman seats in Sialkot city.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 3rd, 2015.
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