Five big guns who didn’t make it to NA this time

As we all wait for Imran Khan to lead the country as the new prime minister, the maiden session of the 15th National Assembly took place on Monday.

As the members of the Lower House of Parliament took oath for the country’s third consecutive democratic transition of power, there was an interesting twist of events that one may have witnessed.

As the National Assembly welcomed 134 new faces this time, there were many prominent leaders who are not part of the National Assembly this time as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is all set to transform the government in ‘Naya Pakistan’ after clinching victory in election 2018.

CHAUDHRY NISAR ALI KHAN

Former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar served his tenure from 2013 to 2017. He was a former leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and a member of the National Assembly from 1985 to 2018. Nisar also served as the leader of the opposition in the NA from 2008 to 2013.

SHAHID KHAQAN ABBASI

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi served as the 18th Prime Minister from August 2017 to May 2018. He is a senior member of PML-N and a member of the NA from 1988 to 1999 and then again from 2008 to 2018.

KHAWAJA SAAD RAFIQUE

Former railways minister Khawaja Saad Rafique served his tenure at the post from 2013 to 2017 and in Abbasi’s cabinet as well from August 2017 to May 2018. He had been a member of the National Assembly from 2002 to 2018 and served as Special Assistant to Prime Minister for Youth Affairs from 1997 to 1999.

MAULANA FAZLUR REHMAN

Maulana Fazlur Rehman is the chief of his own faction of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam. He has served as opposition leader from 2004 to 2007. Moreover, he was also a member of the National Assembly from 1988 to 2018.

ABID SHER ALI

Abid Sher Ali served as the Power Minister, in the Abbasi cabinet from August 2017 to May 2018. Moreover, he was water and power minister from 2013 to 2017 and a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from 2002 to 2018.

Other names that failed to convince the voters for their position in the House included Mahmood Achakzai and Aftab Sherpao. In addition to that, ex-PM Nawaz Sharif, Daniyal Aziz and Tallal Chaudhry were disqualified and declared ineligible for the elections due to corruption cases against them.