More than 483,000 voters in NA-168 Bahawalpur-V, one of the five National Assembly constituencies in Bahawalpur district, are set to elect their new representative in a by-election scheduled for September 27, 2026. The contest appears largely one-sided, as none of the major opposition parties has fielded a candidate. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has awarded its ticket to Munir Iqbal, son of the late Malik Muhammad Iqbal Channar.

What Prompted the By-election?

The by-election is being held due to the passing away of Malik Muhammad Iqbal Channar. Mr. Iqbal won the seat in the 2024 General Elections (GE-2024), securing 124,529 votes, accounted for 58 percent of the total polled votes in the constituency.

Which Areas Does the Constituency Comprise?

 NA-168 is predominantly urban and encompasses some of Bahalwapur’s  key residential, commercial, institutional, and administrative areas. The constituency includes the old walled city and its historic bazaars around Farid Gate, Bohar Gate, Shikarpuri Gate, Derawari Gate, Mori Gate, Multani Gate, and Ahmedpuri Gate, as well as Main Bazaar, Railway Bazaar, and Circular Road, Machli Bazaar, Chowk Bazaar and Ghalla Mandi.

It also covers established residential areas such as Model Town and Satellite Town, along with Abbas Colony, Anwarabad, Azizabad, Bankers Colony, GOC Colony, Kausar Colony, People’s Colony, PTCL Staff Colony, Tajir Colony, Umer Block, Faiz Colony, Izafi Habib Colony, Jajja Town, Khayaban-e-Ali, Al-Noor Garden, Yousaf Garden, Gulshan-e-Bahawalpur, Shadman City, Allama Iqbal Town and Abbasia Town.

Major institutional areas, including The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Quaid-i-Azam Medical College and Bahawal Victoria Hospital, also fall within the constituency. The inclusion of Bahawalpur Cantonment adds another distinct institutional and residential component to its electoral profile.

Who Are the Key Contenders?

According to the ECP’s final list of contesting candidates (Form-33), 20 candidates are in the run for the constituency with PML-N awarding its ticket to Munir Iqbal, son of the late Malik Muhammad Iqbal.

The Channar family is a well-known political family that has been active in the urban politics of Bahawalpur for some time. It’s central figure, Malik Muhammad Iqbal, became a Provincial Minister for Special Education and Prisons (2008-2013) and later held the Cooperatives portfolio. He was also elected to the Punjab Assembly in 2002 and 2008 General Elections and won NA-168 seat in the General Election 2024.

In addition, there are other political families and networks that continue to function and have influence in the politics of the city of Bahawalpur, such as the political family of Abbasi, Alwari, Cheema and the political network of Sami Ullah Chaudhary and Arain community. They have created political connections and still have influence in shaping electoral dynamics and political mobilization in the urban areas of Bahawalpur.

Syed Muhammad Irfan Shah is also a part of the electoral process and contesting election as an Independent candidate. Earlier, he ran on the ticket of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), which has now been declared as a proscribed organization, and received 7,791 votes in the GE-2024. In addition, Muhammad Asad Shakir, who polled just 165 votes in GE-2024 as an Independent candidate, is also running for the by-election. Similarly, Munawar Hayat Abbasi, who secured 685 votes as an independent in the last general elections, is also one of the candidates in the upcoming by-polls.

Another contender is Muhammad Shakeel Qureshi, who is contesting the by-election from the platform of Mazloom Olsi Tehreek Pakistan. There are also an increased number of candidates running as independent candidates, with 18 of them running for office in the independent category.

What Has Changed since GE-2024?

Since GE-2024, the number of registered voters in NA-168 has increased from 447,963 to 483,143, reflecting a seven percent rise. A total of 292 polling stations has been established in the constituency for the September 27 by-election, including 130 male, 130 female, and 32 combined. Among these polling stations, 22 have been declared as highly sensitive. The number of polling stations remains the same as were  established for GE-2024.

Download: Final list of Polling Stations established for the NA-168, final list of contesting candidates of NA-168