Hoping for a hat-trick?

Sardar Eye Hospital is a well-known place in Garhi Shahu. Its claim to fame is not just that people get free medical treatment but also the fact that they could find Ayaz Sadiq here.

Ayaz Sadiq owns this hospital, and is often around and readily available whenever in Lahore, making sure that he attends to the people from his constituency two or three times a week.

As chairman of the NA’s Standing Committee on Railways, most people brought to him issues with the public utility, providing him an opportunity to bond with people living in the Railway quarters.

Even otherwise Ayaz, with his mild manners, is a likeable character.

He started his political career in 1997 with a PTI ticket to contest from a provincial seat falling in NA-122. He later joined ‘N’, and in 2002 asked for a provincial assembly ticket, but given the shortage of candidates he was obliged with both the national and provincial assembly seats by the Sharifs. He made the most of this opportunity and has since never looked back, making his own niche in the party.

Ayaz Sadiq is one of those PML-N leaders of the outgoing parliament from Lahore who has actually something to show for his political pains and rightly deserves credit for taking care of the people while also contributing as legislator. His friends say, Ayaz maintains that even this time round Imran stands no chance. “The success of my campaign is based upon our performance in the past. This is an ‘N’ constituency with voters loyal to it and Nawaz Sharif. They know that it is only N that can deliver”, says Ayaz, adding, “Imran talks of lofty ideals, but both the PTI candidates for PA from this constituency were Musharraf cronies. The people do not like this,” he added.