A remarkable achievement for the Gilani family of Multan because as per inconclusive and unofficial results, former prime minister and PPP stalwart Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani and his sons won three National Assembly (NA) seats and one Punjab Assembly (PA) seat from the city. Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani has emerged victorious in NA-148, while his sons Ali Musa Gilani and Abdul Qadir Gilani have won their seats, NA-151 and NA-152, respectively. Ali Haider Gilani, the former prime minister’s elder son, on the other hand, has won from PP-213. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has so far won 53 National Assembly seats with a dozen still to be announced. The victory of PTI-backed independent candidates in large numbers has surprised all and sundry as according to inconclusive and unofficial results received so far, they have won close to 100 NA seats, and close to 200 Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies’ seats.

The Gilani family clinched half of Multan’s six National Assembly seats, besides claiming a provincial assembly seat. Two of the rest NA seats have been secured by independents, including Malik Muhammad Amir Dogar who won from NA-149 seat with the highest vote tally of 143,613 and Zain Hussain Qureshi who claimed 126,770 votes to bag the NA-150 seat, according to the electon results declared by the Returning Officers. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz managed to win only one seat with its nominee Rana Qasim Noon emerging victorious from NA-153 in Jalalpur Pirwala Tehsil by claiming 95114 votes leaving his rivals trailing far behind. Independents Dewan Ashiq Hussain Bukhari (49007 votes), Qasim Abbas Khan (47831 votes) and Riaz Lang (39657 votes) were his rivals.

PPPP central leader Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani won a tight contest with 67,326 votes – difference of only 293 from his rival independent candidate Taimur Altaf who bagged 67033 votes. PML-N’s Malik Ahmad Hussain Dehar also secuted a good number of votes, 57,989. It was a good triangular contest, in which the elder Gilani triumphed with a closest margin. His eldest son Syed Abdul Qadir Gilani emerged victorious from NA-152 in Shuja Abad Tehsil with a respectable total of 96,998 votes leaving his rivals behind including the main opponent Syed Javed Ali Shah of the PML-N (71,259 votes) and independent candidate Imran Shoukat Khan, who claimed 62,082 votes. His second son Syed Ali Musa Gilani completed the trio’s victory streak on the National Assembly seats with his victory from NA-151 with 79,080 votes in an extremely tough and close contest.

His rivals included independent Meherbano Qureshi, who bagged 71649 votes and PML-N ticket holder Abdul Ghaffar Dogar who got 71,463 votes. Another son Syed Ali Haidar Gilani claimed the Punjab Assembly seat of PP-213 with 42,404 votes against his closest rival Shoukat Hayat Bosan of the PML-N (32,465). PPPP candidate Malik Wasif Mazhar Raan won PP-219 seat by claiming 43,157 votes against his rival Muhammad Akhtar of the PML-N. Likewise, PPPP’s Mian Kamran Abdullah Maral of the PPPP won PP-221 seat with 43,117 votes and Rana Muhammad Iqbal Siraj PP-220 seat with 42,433 votes, defeating their PML-N’s rivals Rai Mansab Ali Khan (33,272) and independent Zahid Bahar Hashmi (29,640 votes).

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)