Old Anarkali: Torn between PML-N and PTI

LAHORE:

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif won from this area and it has traditionally been a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz stronghold, but, it now appears that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf might just give the PML-N a run for the money in Union Council-61, Old Anarkali. 

Most of the voters in the council say their choice of councillor would depend on which of the candidates they know best but for the chairman and vice chairman seats, they will consider political party affiliation.



Faisal Mehmood, a resident of Ward 5, says he would vote for Hamid Hussain as councillor. “He’s a neighbour and I know him well.” He says he would cast his vote for the PML-N for vice chairman and chairman seats. “Our family has always voted for the PML-N and we believe the party is moving in the right direction.”



Saqib Mirza, another voter from the area who appears satisfied with the PML-N’s performance, says MPA Majid Zahoor (PP-140) had gotten several streets repaired in their area. The condition of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital had improved considerably over the last few years and “there is no more stench from the hospital pervading our area any longer…and nurses and doctors are available at the hospital round-the-clock”, he says.

Ganga Ram Hospital touches the union council even though it does not fall into the designated area.



Then there are the naysayers. Chaudhry Hamid Sheikh, from the same area, says he has supported the PML-N but as of late, had become disappointed with the party’s performance. “PML-N’s leaders have not visited us during recent campaigns and are not aware of our problems,” he says.

“My house is near an open sewage drain and we constantly worry about our children falling into in,” he says. He also mentions electricity wires in the area hanging low which political representatives seem unaware of.

The union council includes Jain Mandir, Maula Bakhsh Road, Nabha Road, State Bank, University Ground and ends at Masjid-i- Shuhuda on The Mall.



Candidate for chairman, Haji Muhammad Ishaq of the PML-N talks about various problems in the area. He says the availability of safe drinking water was a major problem because the water supply pipes laid out were very old. “Despite the limited funds, I will try my best to put these concerns forward,” he says. Malik Nasim is the PML-N’s candidate for vice chairman.

PTI’s candidate for chairman, Sher Bahadur Khan, says low hanging wires are a major issue and the state of sewerage is deplorable. “The drains need to be lined properly…almost every union council in Lahore would complain about this,” he says.

Khan says he was with the PML-N during the ’90s and contested local government elections in 2001 and 2005 and became deputy nazim both times. “This time around, I have chosen to stand with Imran Khan because the PML has been in power here for 30 years but has still failed to solve any problems in the area,” he says. The vice chairman candidate for PTI in UC-61 is Hafiz Muhammad Khan.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 22^nd, 2015.