Aleem Khan – Punjab’s next CM?

It has been a shake up, to say the least, which has finally driven the province of Punjab into a position where it stands effectively without a leader.

The 2018 election has seen the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) routed at the Centre, but it has also seen its fortunes change in what is considered its stronghold: Punjab. And while the League has still emerged as the single largest party in the province, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) has emerged a close second, breaking the iron grip that the PML-N has had on Pakistan’s most populated province.

With the numbers neck and neck and independents leaning towards the PTI, Punjab is now looking at a change from the nearly 10-year rule of Mian Shehbaz Sharif. And while the voters have decided to leave the familiarity of the League to embark on uncharted territories, it is not yet clear who will be Imran Khan’s man in Punjab.

From the admittedly brief list of hopefuls to replace Mian Shehbaz at the helm of Punjab, the name that seems to be dominating the rumour mill is PTI’s Central Punjab President Abdul Aleem Khan.

A man as divisive as he is capable, of all the candidates that the PTI has to offer, Aleem Khan is the only one that has had some experience, having served as IT minister in the PML-Q’s Punjab government.

As a candidate for CM, Aleem Khan brings to the table not just experience, but also a deep-rooted connection with the city of Lahore. Starting off from a middle-class background, Aleem Khan has found his fortune in the property fields of Punjab’s capital. He is a deeply entrenched figure in the city, and has the support of Imran Khan, having now taken on Ayaz Sadiq in Khan’s own constituency more than once and has led the chairman’s own campaigns in Lahore. And as the PTI’s former boss in Lahore and now in Central Punjab, he has the requisite political capital to be the leading man in the province.

But his success in business seems to have also been a disadvantage since there seems to be a resentment within the party regarding his candidature. To some, he represents the moneyed classes that are supposed to be the backers of the League. He also has a likeability problem, with old party hands and supporters being chief among his critics.  

But to his credit, he has spent much of this money on the PTI, and especially in its early stages. Moreover, philanthropy seems to run in the party, since he has spent openly through the Aleem Khan foundation, building free dispensaries and water filtration plants all over the cities.

As a man, he has shown great personal strength in fighting cancer, surviving the disease in Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital. Since then, he has also donated to the hospital and has been a chief contributor to Imran Khan’s other charity projects, making him one of the party chairman’s trustworthy steeds.