Punjab’s Shanti Nagar’s Political Odyssey
Faisal Saleem
Khanewal: Shanti Nagar, a known suburb hosting the largest Christian population in Khanewal district, is currently seeking greater awareness regarding the electoral process and resolution to issues stemming from unfair constituency demarcation.
Established in December 1916, the village was named Shanti Nagar in honor of the distinguished service rendered by Brigadier Bennestor, also known as Shanti Bai, within the Salvation Army.
Covering an expanse of 2,600 acres, the village encompasses 250 acres of agricultural land and 100 acres designated for residential use. Its estimated population stands at approximately 22,000, residing in 1,313 families, all adherents to the Catholic sect. 
As per the Election Commission of Khanewal, the total voter count for Shanti Nagar (72/10-R) stands at 7,441, distributed across eight statistical block codes. Among them, 3,882 are male voters, and 3,659 are female voters.
Former Union Council Chairman and Member of District Council, Jacob Wazir, mentioned that during the 2018 national elections, approximately 1,000 votes were relocated to Karachi and Lahore, with a significant portion affecting laborers.
Despite this issue, it hasn’t received considerable attention. With the addition of newly registered voters, the local voter count is expected to rise to 8,500.
Jacob Wazir highlighted that a major challenge for Shanti Nagar arose during the last national election when it separated from Union Council 92/10-R upon the request of former Provincial Minister of Transport, Haji Irfan Khan Daha.
After the union council was changed, the village of Shanti Nagar was separated from the urban constituency of Khanewal, and instead of PP-206 Khanewal, it was added to Tehsil Jahanian’s constituency in PP-209 and national constituencies from NA-151 to 153.
Due to the separation of the district’s central constituency, it has suffered a number of problems that have not been resolved yet.
As per Jacob Wazir, approximately two-thirds of the 7,400 voters in Shanti Nagar supported the Hiraj Brothers.
In the 2018 general elections, Shanti Nagar was separated from its former constituency NA-145 (now NA-151), and PTI candidate Ahmed Yar Hiraj lost the election by 1,678 votes to PML-N candidate Mohammad Khan Daha.
Prior to this change, Shanti Nagar Union Council belonged to 92/10-R, which was part of Khanewal’s urban constituency, PP-206.
Jacob Wazir also staged a protest in front of the Multan Press Club, denouncing the unfair constituency distribution, but his plea was dismissed by the Election Commission. It’s noteworthy that the Hiraj Brothers made no efforts to incorporate Shanti Nagar into their constituency.
According to the Election Commission, the area was visited at the request of Jacob Wazir. The basic principle of constituency is the path to connect all the areas in the Union Council, which was found during the visit. The distribution of the constituencies was made in view of the balanced proportion of votes in each constituency, so no further change was needed on this request.
Disagreeing with the number of voters provided by the Election Commission, Jacob Wazir said that the number of voters in 2018 was 7,400, but for now their area’s votes will increase from about 800 to 1,000.
Political Performance
Shanti Nagar’s voters believe that only the Hiraj Brothers conducted development work in Shanti Nagar after winning the 2008 elections from 2008 to 2013.
In 2018, the constituency underwent a separation from Khanewal’s urban constituency and was incorporated into PP-209 and the current NA-147 (formerly NA-153).
During the 2018 elections, voters here supported PTI candidate Abdul Razzaq Niazi in PP-209, resulting in his loss.
PML-N candidate Iftikhar Nazir, victorious in NA-147, remarked that his development initiatives were stalled during the PTI tenure but flourished under Shahbaz Sharif’s administration. Notably, a sewerage project, tendered on November 8, 2023, along with two power supply projects, approved on November 11, 2023, have been initiated in the Shanti Nagar area.
According to former advisor to Punjab Chief Minister Ayaz Khan Niazi, he allocated 3.5 million rupees for road schemes in Shanti Nagar, while Provincial Minister for Minority Affairs Mahinder Pal Singh secured a sewage scheme worth 10 million rupees for the area.
However, these projects couldn’t be completed due to a change in regime.
Former Union Council Chairman Jacob Wazir highlighted that a significant issue faced by minorities at the national level is the inaccurate maintenance and reporting of their population data, directly impacting their voting numbers.
Concerns Over Voter Data
He became aware of this discrepancy during the 2018 general elections when he discovered that although Shanti Nagar’s population was 7,000, the recorded votes amounted to 7,400.
In March 2023, local volunteers collaborated with government officials to conduct a digital census in Shanti Nagar.
According to the volunteer data, the total population of Shanti Nagar is estimated to be around 22,000, with more than 8,300 registered voters. However, the Christian community also voiced their dissatisfaction with the 2017 census data.
A resident of Shanti Nagar, Iram Prem, recounted her experience during the last national election, where she discovered her name had already been marked off in the voter list when she went to cast her vote.
As an informed individual, she promptly raised the issue with the assistance of local polling agents, ultimately being allowed to cast her vote. This incident sheds light on potential electoral fraud.
However, to date, no training program addressing such issues has been organized in Shanti Nagar.
Abdul Rahman, an Election Officer at the Election Commission Khanewal, highlighted the formation of the District Voter Education Committee aimed at educating voters about the tendering process and casting votes.
Additionally, information regarding this process is available on the Election Commission’s website.
In response, local political and social activist Bismillah Iram emphasised the urgent need for social organisations to conduct programmes in Shanti Nagar regarding the electoral process and its irregularities, especially concerning the minority population.
Former General Counsellor Nazir James says Shanti Nagar is a model village in Khanewal district. But unfortunately, its nearest basic health unit is at 88/10-R, 10km away from here, while DHQ Khanewal is 20 km away, causing people to face difficulties for basic health treatment.
Apart from setting up a basic health unit in the village, there is a dire need for public water and filtration plants. And if this model village gets these facilities, it is certainly a model village in the present time.
According to the ideology of the leader and the Constitution of Pakistan, it is the basic right of minorities to provide political awareness and provide all possible facilities for their welfare. Then, whether it is health and education facilities or ease of the electoral process, So that they can benefit from their rights as Pakistanis.
Faisal Saleem is a freelance journalist from Khanewal, Punjab. He writes on politics, social, and climate change related issues. He can be accessed at iamhere020@gmail.com
All information and facts provided are the sole responsibility of the writer.
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