Loyalty pays off: Victory for Dr Asad Ahsraf

• Asad remained with PML-N during Musharraf’s repressive rule

LAHORE: The Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) has obliged a party loyalist Dr Asad Ashraf who remained committed to the party even during the dictatorial regime of former president Pervez Musharraf when the party leadership was in exile.

Dr Asad, who became a senator on Thursday by grabbing overwhelming 298 votes from Punjab Assembly, defeated Dr Zarqa Taimur of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) who managed to secure 38 votes only.

Before joining the politics in 1996 after the murder of his brother Javed Ashraf who too was a PML-N loyalist, Dr Asad was serving as consultant cardiologist at Services Hospital Lahore. Born in 1963, Dr Asad obtained his MBBS in 1986 from Allama Iqbal Medical College and later got a post-graduate diploma in cardiology from Karachi.

It is pertinent to mention here that Javed Ashraf was killed in 1996 in a clash with police in Lahore during the Tehreek-e-Nijaat that was launched by PML-N against the government of the PPP. Before being killed in the confrontation, Javed Ashraf was the campaign in-charge of the NA-96 constituency of Lahore.

Dr Asad was made advisor to Punjab chief minister in 1997 after the PML-N came into power in recognition of the services of his brother for the party. He has also headed the Solid Waste Management Committee of Municipal Corporation of Lahore from 1998 to 1999. Dr Asad entered the parliamentary politics in 2002 when he was given the party ticket from PP-138 Lahore and became an MPA.

During his tenure in the assembly, he served as the deputy parliamentary leader of the PML-N in the assembly till 2007, at a time when his party was going through the most difficult phase under the Musharraf era. He once again became MPA from the same constituency for the second consecutive time in 2008 and served till 2013.

“Although I filed my nomination papers on the ticket of the PML-N but was declared as an independent candidate by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) after annulment of Nawaz Sharif in the wake of the Supreme Court decision that disqualified him as the party chief, but I’ll announce to join PML-N again after taking my oath as a senator,” Dr Asad said after his victory on Thursday. I can sacrifice my hundreds of independent candidatures on Nawaz Sharif who is my leader, he asserted.