In 2018, the Herald magazine assigned me the responsibility to report on electoral contests in eight districts of Sindh, namely Mirpurkhas, Tando Allahyar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Matiari, Dadu, Jamshoro, Hyderabad, and Sanghar.
Because the magazine had space constraints, only the excerpts from those reports were published in Herald’s July 2018 issue while the rest of it — approximately 5000 words — remained unpublished.
I have finally decided, in 2025, to put them all online in their original form because firstly, I worked hard for them and traveled far and wide in the intense June heat of Sindh so I think they should not remain unused; and secondly, I hope, someone some day may find them usable for some project that they might be doing. If that holds true even for one person, then I think the reports will have achieved their purpose.
Fifth in this series of eight posts is the electoral profile of Sindh’s district Dadu, as written in the summer of 2018. The constituencies may have changed over the years and may not necessarily match with the current numbering.
By: Bilal Karim Mughal in Dadu
Dadu has two national constituencies — NA-234 (previously NA-233) comprising Mehar and Khairpur Nathan Shah, and NA-235 (previously NA-232) comprising taluka (subdistrict or tehsil) Dadu and Johi.
It has four provincial constituencies PS-83 Khairpur Nathan Shah (previously PS-76), PS-84 Mehar (previously PS-77), PS-85 Dadu City (previously PS-74) and PS-86 Johi (previously PS-75).
The main event in this district will be the competition at NA-234 where former Federal Minister and Chief Minister of Sindh Liaquat Ali Khan Jatoi will contest against Imran Zafar Laghari of the Pakistan Peoples Party-Parliamentarians (PPPP).
Laghari had defeated Jatoi, who was competing on the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) ticket in 2013 elections by 45,111 votes. Now Jatoi and some other of his relatives are competing on the ticket of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).
An interesting character here is Dr Talat Iqbal Mahesar, MNA from old NA-233 in 2008-2013, who defeated Ihsan Ali Jatoi of Pakistan Muslim League (PML, or informally known as Q-league) by 33,347 votes.
Mahesar wasn’t granted a ticket by the PPPP in 2013 and subsequently in 2018, due to which he joined PTI and announced that votes of him and his supporters will go to PTI candidate Liaquat Ali Jatoi and his brothers.
At NA-235 Dadu and Johi, there is competition between Liaquat’s son Karim Ali Jatoi, and Sardar Rafique Jamali of the PPPP. Jamali had defeated Karim Ali Jatoi from the same constituency in 2013 by 20,038 votes.
Interestingly, Jatoi was able to get 56,838 votes against Jamali despite the fact that Jamali had been an MNA from the same constituency in the 2008 parliament as well. Therefore, in presence of defected PPPP stalwarts like Mahesar, it is to be seen if he can put up a stiffer opposition as compared to 2013 elections if not defeat Jamali.
At PS-83 Khairpur Nathan Shah, PPPP’s Abdul Aziz Junejo is competing against PTI’s Ihsan Ali Jatoi, former Q-league MPA and a brother to Liaquat Ali Jatoi. Ihsan has served as an MPA in the 2002-2007 term of the Sindh Assembly. Junejo’s wife Perveen Aziz Junejo had defeated Liaquat Ali Jatoi by 34,135 votes in the 2013 elections.
She later resigned and her husband contested bye-elections and won. Junejo’s father, Ameer Bux Junejo was a PPPP strongman from the same constituency who won three-times on PPPP ticket, one time on PML ticket, and then stopped running for elections in 2008.
At PS-84 Mehar (previously PS-77), Fayaz Ali Butt is competing against Sadaqat Jatoi, former MPA, Senator, and Senior Vice President of PTI Sindh. He is also the brother of Liaquat Jatoi and won the seat in 2002. Butt had defeated Jatoi in 2008 by 14,814 votes and by 7076 votes in 2013 general elections. It is said that Jatoi has good relations with the general public and a steadily declining vote margin since 2008 signifies that there’s a strong chance for Jatoi’s victory in 2018 elections.
At PS-85 Dadu (previously PS-74), PPPP’s Pir Mujeeb-ul-Haq, son of former Sindh Minister Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq is competing against Sardar Ashiq Zounr of the PTI.
Zounr has never competed in general elections and was only elected as a councillor before. Mujeeb was elected as MPA from this constituency in 2013 elections, defeating Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) candidate Syed Mohammad Shah by 12,790 votes.
The constituency is a stronghold of Haq family, and most of the opposition to Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq, including Syed Mohammad Shah, (winner of old PS-62 Dadu in 1985 elections), Syed Zafar Ali Shah, former Taluka Nazim Dadu, and runner-up in 2013 elections in the constituency (lost by 18,457 votes to Mujeeb) are now in the PPPP, therefore the position seems to be clear for Mujeeb again.
PS-86 Johi (previously PS-75) will see PPPP’s Syed Ghulam Shah Jillani against Dr Bandah Ali Laghari of the PTI. Jillani had defeated Laghari in 2008 by 18,080 votes and by 9113 votes in 2013 elections.
Laghari’s aunt Sajeela Laghari, who is also a cousin to PPPP’s candidate at NA-234 Imran Zaffar Laghari, has remained an MPA on a reserved seat from 2008 to 2018 on PPPP’s ticket.
Accurate calls: PS-85
Inaccurate calls: PS-84
Unclear projections: NA-234, NA-235, PS-83, PS-86
