LAHORE: The Bahawalpur NA-168 by-election has turned into a contest between PML-N’s Malik Munir Iqbal Channar, the son of the deceased lawmaker, and independent candidate Wali Dad Cheema, the son of former federal minister Tariq Bashir Cheema.

The polling on the constituency is scheduled for Sept 27 in which sympathy following the death of sitting PML-N MNA Malik Muhammad Iqbal Channar, demands for a separate province and the PTI’s decision to boycott the election have emerged as key features of the by-election. Whereas, the PPP had also withdrawn its candidate and announced support for Mr Channar, while other political and religious groups have also extended support to him.

PPP leader Syed Ali Haider Gillani, while addressing the media, said that they were supporting PML-N under the coalition agreement. He said that PML-N had also not fielded its candidate on the seat won by the PPP in the 2024 election. On the other hand, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan had said the party would not participate in any electoral process under the current circumstances. The decision has left the party without a candidate in the constituency despite its candidate Samiullah Chaudhry being the runner-up to the late Mr Channar in the 2024 general elections.

Independent candidate Wali Dad Cheema has been openly appealing to PTI supporters and sympathisers to vote for him. Addressing a gathering, Mr Cheema said he had entered the contest because of the PTI boycott, otherwise the PML-N candidate would have won without an election. He said that he needed PTI supporters’ backing to win the contest.

PTI has announced boycott of elections, while PPP has withdrawn its candidate in support of PML-N

However, PTI leaders from different areas of Punjab have subsequently posted videos on social media rejecting claims that the party or its supporters were backing the Cheema group. They have urged their supporters to abstain from voting. Several voters interviewed by Dawn said the death of Mr Channar has generated sympathy for his family and could translate into support for his son.

A voter, Mustafa Khan, said the Channar clan appeared united behind the PML-N candidate following the death of his father.

“Although the candidate was not very popular among the masses and his father had not given him a provincial assembly ticket, his position is still good,” he said.

Mr Khan said Mr Tariq Bashir Cheema had not contested an election for around 18 years in this constituency and could therefore find it difficult to mobilise substantial support. He also referred to controversies surrounding Wali Dad Cheema.

Another voter, Khadim Hussain, said the demand for a Seraiki province could benefit the Channar candidate because the Cheema camp was campaigning for the restoration of the Bahawalpur province. He said he would personally vote for a candidate who supported the demand for a Seraiki province.

Social activist Salman Bhadera also described Mr Channar’s position as favourable, saying PML-N local leaders and a group of around 15 MPAs were holding gatherings to mobilise support for the candidate.

He said people in Bahawalpur generally supported candidates who visited them and sought votes respectfully. He alleged that Mr Cheema and his supporters had adopted a confrontational approach and were issuing threats and challenging local political norms, which, he argued, could work against them. When asked about the possible disposition of PTI supporters, he said they were not fully prepared to support any particular candidate.

According to Mr Bhadera, PML-N was seeking to mobilise its workers while Mr Cheema was attempting to consolidate support through his personal contacts and political groups.

He said that only PTI was popular and the candidate who managed to get their support could win easily.

On the other hand, Wali Dad Cheema and his father have repeatedly campaigned for restoring the Bahawalpur province and have maintained that Bahawalpur should be made a province regardless of whether the government created other provinces.

The issue has gained significance because the PPP, while supporting the PML-N candidate, has also publicly expressed support for the creation of new provinces, including a Seraiki province. For voters, however, the campaign remains centred on a combination of local representation, political alliances, provincial status and constituency-level concerns.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2026