The 2024 elections marked a significant shift in the political landscape of NA-54, resulting in the exclusion of two longstanding figures, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Ghulam Sarwar Khan, both former federal ministers, from the political arena after 40 years of active participation. This election, breaking a four-decade trend, saw the voters rejecting traditional faces and opting for new leadership for National Assembly and provincial assembly seats.
Chaudhry Nisar and Ghulam, who had been elected multiple times since 1985, secured only third and fourth positions with 19,993 votes and 16,889 votes, respectively, reflecting the electorate’s desire for change. Both politicians had initially been elected in 1985 from Taxila and Wah Cantt constituencies, and over the years, they had been associated with various political parties.
Chaudhry Nisar, affiliated with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), contested the 2018 election as an independent candidate after parting ways with PML-N but lost. Ghulam, who started with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and later joined the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and then PTI, faced defeat in the 2024 elections as a member of Istehkam-e-Pakistan (IPP).
Barrister Aqeel Malik, deprived of a PML-N ticket from NA-54 due to seat adjustment with IPP, secured victory with 85,912 votes. At the same time, Azra Masood, an independent candidate affiliated with PTI, received 73,694 votes for the same seat. In a video message, Azra claimed to have majority votes but expressed concerns over the returning officer’s handling of the results for NA-54.
In PP-12, PML-N’s Mohsin Ayub won with 41,138 votes, while Saad Khan, an independent candidate affiliated with PTI, secured 35,108 votes. In PP-13, independent candidate Fahd Masood, brother of former provincial minister Taimur Masood, secured victory, signaling a preference for new faces over established ones across all three seats.
