ISLAMABAD: An election campaign in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, adjacent to Pakistani capital Islamabad, is in full swing and former federal Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, an outspoken politician who is contesting from two constituencies from the city, has clutched attention as his neck-to-neck contest is expected with PML-N candidates.
Sixty-eight-year-old Sheikh Rashid, chairman of Awami Muslim League (AML), is running a hectic campaign for two national assembly seats, NA 60 and NA 62, and Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is supporting him.
His base camp “Lal Haveli,” an old building in the central part of Rawalpindi near the famous Raja Bazar, not only serves as the hub of Sheikh Rashid’s activities but a center stage of politics in the city.
Sheikh Rashid who is known for mixing with common people, has started his election campaign with a bike ride and toured the different parts of area to attract the voters in his constituencies.
He posted a photo on his Twitter account sitting on a bike; while in other posts he was baking roti (the country’s traditional round bread) in a tandoor, a traditional clay oven.
As the countdown for the general elections 2018 has started and all candidates, including Sheikh Rashid, are giving a last push to their campaigns for the July 25 polls, the veteran politician is being discussed because of his dissimilar style.
Other than addressing public gatherings in nooks and corners of Rawalpindi, he tried to mingle with the residents of the areas, shopkeepers and even with cart vendors while running a door-to-door campaign.
His voters and supporters cannot only find him in the constituency during this season; a bile-spewing former federal minister often gets more air time on Pakistani private TV news shows because of his crunchy statements on local and national issues.
Sheikh Rasheed, who is banking on Imran Khan’s support, claims while addressing public rallies in the most populated and congested areas of Rawalpindi that he will clinch a record number of votes this time.
Although the PTI is fully backing Sheikh Rashid and Imran Khan himself is expected to attend one of his political rallies this Sunday (July 22), a close contest is expected between Sheikh Rashid and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) candidates, Danyal Chaudhry and Hanif Abassi.
In NA 62 constituency, PML-N candidate Barrister Daniyal Chaudhry is challenging the veteran parliamentarian Sheikh Rashid.
Daniyal is the son of Senator Senator Chaudhry Tanveer Ahmed Khan, who is considered a dependable aide of PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif and an influential figure from Rawalpindi, but the fact is that Daniyal is for the first time contesting a National Assembly seat election.
— Sheikh Rashid Ahmad (@ShkhRasheed) July 13, 2018
In another constituency, NA 60, the PML-N’s heavyweight Hanif Abbasi from Rawalpindi, who contested the 2013 election against PTI Chairman Imran Khan, is challenging Sheikh Rashid.
Sheikh Rashid has been a member of the National Assembly since 1985 but after parting ways with Nawaz Sharif in the 2008 general elections he lost a seat to the PML-N candidate Javed Hashmi and also a by-election in the same constituency to another local PML-N candidate, Shakeel Awan.
After losing his customary seat from Rawalpindi as an independent candidate, Sheikh Rasheed announced he was forming his own party Awami Muslim League, with a symbol of pen and an ink bottle.
Born, educated and raised in Rawalpindi, he served as a member of the federal cabinet in different ministries during Nawaz Sharif’s governments between 1992 and 1997.
Later, he also served as a federal minister when former military ruler Pervez Musharraf was in power.
Sheikh Rashid is considered quite a vibrant politician in Rawalpindi and it seems evident from the way he is running political campaigns from two different constituencies singlehandedly.
Cigar smoker Sheikh Rashid is a prominent political figure and at an eventful time on the national political scene, he still manages to grab some attention because of his unconventional way of attracting voters.
