Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan, who is yet to win from Lahore despite three attempts, will contest the 2018 polls against Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) bigwig Khawaja Saad Rafique from NA 131.
Khan contested for the first time from Lahore in 1997 for two seats – the then NA-94 and NA-95 – and lost to PML-N candidates Tariq Aziz and Nawaz Sharif respectively.
In 2002, Imran contested against Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, his former party stalwart, who was contesting as PML-N candidate from NA-122.
Imran lost to Sadiq but won from Mianwali.
In 2008, the PTI boycotted the elections, but the party chief faced Sadiq again in 2013 from NA-122, and lost after a tough contest.
This year, Khan is trying his luck from NA-131 against Saad, who has not faced defeat since 1997 from this constituency.
In NA-95 Mianwali, the PTI chief will face the PML-N’s Obaidullah Shadi Khel.
The PML-N has so far nominated candidates for 116 seats of National Assembly and 192 of the provincial legislature in Punjab, where the majority of its nominees will face the PTI representatives as major opponent.
In one of the major contests to be watched for the PML-N, Maryam Nawaz, the daughter of deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif, is contesting from NA-125 against the PTI’s Dr Yasmeen Rashid, who gave Nawaz a tough time in the 2013 elections, and then to his wife Kulsoom Nawaz in the 2017 by-election.
In NA-132 Lahore, PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif will contest against Mansha Sindhu of the PTI.
Another PML-N stalwart, Khawaja Asif, who barely escaped disqualification, will face his traditional rival from the PTI, Usman Dar, in NA-73 Sialkot.
In NA-127 Lahore, veteran PML-N leader Pervaiz Malik will face Jamshed Iqbal Cheema of the PTI.
In NA-124, Hamza Shehbaz – the son of Shehbaz Sharif – will face the PTI’s Nauman Qaiser.
In NA-62 Rawalpindi, an interesting contest will be seen between the PML-N’s Daniyal Chaudhry and the Awami Muslim League’s Sheikh Rashid, who is also up against his traditional rival Hanif Abbasi of the PML-N from NA-60 Rawalpindi.
In NA-129 Lahore, the PML-N’s Sardar Ayaz Sadiq is contesting against the PTI’s Abdul Aleem Khan.
Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will contest from NA-57 Murree, but his rival from the PTI is yet to be announced.
Similarly, another PML-N stalwart, Abid Sher Ali, will contest from NA-108 Faisalabad.
Former interior minister Ahsan Iqbal will contest from NA-78 Narowal against the PTI’s Abrar-ul-Haq.
The PML-N’s Rana Sanaullah will face the PTI’s Nisar Jatt from NA-106 Faisalabad.
Khawaja Saad Rafique’s brother, Khawaja Salman Rafique, had however lost the election in 2013 but returned to the Provincial Assembly in a by-poll.
He remained the adviser on health to the Punjab chief minister until he ceased to be a member of the Provincial Assembly, but was made the minister of specialised healthcare after winning the by-election.
The PML-N’s Khurram Dastgir Khan is contesting from his ancestral seat NA-81 Gujranwala; the PTI is yet to announce its candidate from there.
In Lahore, besides Imran, candidates like Malik Zaheer, Aleem Khan, and Mansha Sindhu are PTI ticket holders who have won in the past as candidates of other political parties.