The 2024 general elections in Pakistan still have some exciting battles to look forward to. While the disqualification of prominent leaders may have dampened the excitement, there are still some constituencies where big-name candidates are expected to stage neck-and-neck battles.
In Lahore’s NA-130, PML-N’s Nawaz Sharif will face off against PTI’s former provincial health minister, Dr Yasmin Rashid. This will be a heated electoral battle as Sharif returns to the election arena after his conviction in the Panama Papers case in 2018. Rashid has gained support among PTI faithful despite months of detention.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will be making his electoral debut in Punjab’s NA-127, where he will face PML-N’s Ataullah Tarar and Chaudhry Shabbir Gujjar, an independent associated with PTI.
Another anticipated battle will be in Lahore’s NA-119, where Maryam Nawaz will be contesting the general elections for the first time, against PTI’s Mian Abaad Farooque and PPP’s Iftikhar Shahid. Maryam’s convictions in the Avenfield reference were overturned in 2022, paving the way for her to contest elections.
In Multan’s NA-151, PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s daughter Mehr Bano Qureshi will compete against PPP’s Ali Musa Gilani, son of former PM Yousuf Raza Gilani. This rivalry goes back decades, and their status as custodians of revered local shrines can lend candidates an advantage.
In Lahore’s NA-122, PML-N’s senior leader Khawaja Saad Rafiq will be up against PTI’s Sardar Latif Khosa. Rafiq criticized PTI’s contributions during its nine-year rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while Khosa was one of Benazir Bhutto’s top aides.
A tough competition is expected in NA-44, Dera Ismail Khan, among JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, PTI leader Ali Amin Gandapur, and PPP’s Faisal Karim Kundi. In Karachi’s NA-241, Dr Farooq Sattar of the MQM-P will be up against PTI Karachi president Khurram Sher Zaman.
In Rawalpindi’s NA-56, AML chief Sheikh Rashid and PML-N’s Hanif Abbasi will be rekindling their long-time rivalry. These electoral battles will provide some excitement in an otherwise less exhilarating 2024 general election.