Political career of Tahir Rasheed
An agriculturist by profession turned to politics in 1987 as an elected councillor of Municipal Corporation Multan. He rose through the political ranks, being elected as a Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) for the term of 1990-1993.He was elected to National Assembly of Pakistan serving two consecutive terms, the first from 1993-1996 and the second from February , 1997 to October, 1999.
He is one of few politicians who started their political career at grass roots level and rose to prominence.
In urban Multan, Ansaris, Sheikhs, Dogars, Laabers, and Bhuttas have their own pockets of influence. All the main political parties or alliances award tickets generously to the scions of these clans.
1990-1993
In 1990, he contested his first election for the post of Member of Provincial Assembly. He was given a ticket for constituency PP-163 in the remote area of Multan where he was an outsider and his opponent was Makhdoom Hassan Raza, who belonged to an influential wealthy feudal family. However, despite this fact Tahir Rasheed managed to win the seat by a margin of 7,000 votes. For three years he served as an MPA but when Nawaz Sharif resigned along with President Ghulam Ishaq Khan in 1993, assemblies were dissolved new elections were scheduled.
1993-1996
In November 1993, the new President Farooq Leghari called for fresh elections. Tahir Rasheed was once again issued a ticket from Multan but this time, it was for National Assembly of Pakistan from constituency NA-116 where his opponent was Syed Tanveer-ul Hassan Gillani Former Federal Minister who is also a cousin of current Prime Minister Makhdoom Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani. He was elected MNA on IJI ticket in 1990. In 1993, when the PML-N awarded ticket to Tahir Rasheed, Gilani opted for the PPP ticket.
However, despite the fact that Tanveer Gillani won the election and was a strong candidate, by now Tahir Rasheed had a big name in Multan and campaigned brilliantly to end up winning the election in what was a very close contest.
Tahir Rasheed was part of the opposition party PML. He was a very active party member during Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif regimes. His fiery speeches on key issues in Pakistani politics were widely appreciated in Pakistan. During this era, Nawaz Sharif's and Benazir Bhutto's political enmity had become a personal fight between the two giants. Fiery parliamentarians like Sheikh Rashid, Sheikh Tahir Rasheed, Khawaja Asif, and others had made the lives of Benazir Bhutto and Asif Zardari miserable after the Surrey Palace scam was unfolded on the floor of the National Assembly.
At last Benazir’s passions run out and in October 1994 her Government selectively used criminal charges and arrest to harass political opponents such as Sheikh Tahir Rasheed who was sent to Multan Jail. Since, he became one of the most vocal critics of the Bhutto's regime. The same was done to Sheikh Rashid, who was sent to Bahawalpur Jail on flimsy charges.
The opposition alleged credibly that the Government put political pressure on the judiciary to delay bail to the arrested politicians. Despite the Government's promise to strengthen judicial independence, it took several measures to influence the court for political reasons.
Then on the opposition pressure and according to the regulations of the assembly, Yousaf Raza Gillani, Who was then the Speaker of National assembly of Pakistan, issued the production order of incarcerated PML members of parliament.
This greatly annoyed Benazir Bhutto who was bent on punishing the parliamentarians of the PML and instructed Interior Ministry not to comply with Gillani’s order. The defiance of Gillani was not appreciated by Benazir Bhutto and she was found complaining against her own hand-picked speaker.
Imprisonment of parliamentarians was widely condemned by various people across the country, and abroad. This issue was also reported in Pakistan Human Rights Practices, 1995 Report issued by U.S. Department of State in March 1996.
Sheikh Muhammad Tahir Rasheed was released on bail after spending more than fourteen months in prison.
In 1996, President Farooq Leghari dissolved Benazir Bhutto's government on charges of corruption.
1997-1999
In 1997, new elections were called for again. Tahir Rasheed was given Pakistan Muslim League ticket to contest in the elections, from the same constituency NA-116. This time again he was faced by Malik Mukhtar Awan and Tanveer Gillani. The latter is also a close relative of current Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani and Javed Hashmi. However, Tahir Rasheed once again managed to defeat former federal ministers.
In 1997, Sheikh Tahir Rasheed became a member of Parliamentary Steering Committee (PSC). This was created in response to UNDP 's assistance to enhance the professional capacity of the parliamentarians and National Assembly Secretariat and to support other democratic processes.
In 1998, Sheikh Tahir Rasheed was one of the foremost supporters of the decision taken by the Government to go for Nuclear to restore the Military balance in the region.
In 1999, his younger brother Sheikh Muhammad Tariq Rasheed was elected as last Mayor of Multan.
On October 12, 1999, Nawaz Sharif’s government was dissolved when General Pervez Musharraf took the reigns in a military coup.
2002-2004
Tahir Rasheed did not participate in the general elections held in 2002. However, he was aspirant for the top slot of Multan district as Zila Nazim in a bye election held in 2003. When Shah Mehmood Qureshi the first Zila Nazim of Multan resigned from the post to become a Member of National Assembly.
Initially, there were six contestants in the arena, but the main contenders were former MNA of PPP Pir Riaz Qureshi and Sheikh Tahir Rasheed of PML (N).
Though, the LB polls were held on non-party basis under the devolution plan, Pir Riaz had deserted the PPP to join ruling PML-Q before the filing of nomination papers for the ZN slot and, therefore, his stakes were high for being the official candidate to get hold of the office vacated by his close relative current Federal Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
Besides, the then incarcerated PPP bigwig Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani had also put his weight behind Shah Mehmood despite the traditional political rivalry of Gilani and Qureshi families in the local politics, the local, PML-Q and PPP stalwarts and legislators were also leaving no stone unturned to ensure the victory of Pir Riaz. The scene became rather strange when legislators and activists of PML-N started supporting PML-Q’s Candidate in the presence of their own candidate Sheikh Muhammad Tahir Rasheed.
In that election, the most-asked question to the local political analysts by a common man was how it had been possible that all the traditional political rival groups in the district — Gilanis, Bosans, Hashmis, Qureshis, Diwans, Laangs, Noons and Syeds — had ignored their previous bitter political relations to join hands for the victory of Pir Riaz.
Tahir Rasheed faced opposition even from within his party ranks. For instance, Javed Hashmi despite announcing Tahir Rasheed as Candidate of PML-N, favoured Pir Riaz under cover while former MNA and PML-N stalwart Javed Ali Shah had announced support publicly for Pir Riaz instead of his party comrade. It is also said that the real Top Leadership of PML-N did not take any notice of as to why PML-N's legislators and activists supported Pir Riaz instead of Tahir Rasheed.
2005
Tahir Rasheed was one of the few people in the PML N who were trying to convince the senior leadership of the PML N to stop supporting the PPP in the ARD as they believed the PPP was not sincere with PML-N and had been taking an advantage of the PML-N to achieve their own objectives and capture the PML-N vote bank.
In August, 2005, he decided to join the Pakistan Muslim League due to differences with the party policies and because his supporters were finding it difficult to adjust with the PPP in the ARD.
Tahir Rasheed was followed by ex-Punjab Food Minister Hafiz Iqbal Khakwani, ex-MNA Syed Javed Ali Shah, sitting MPA Syed Mujahid Ali Shah, PML-N ex-MPA DR Khalid Khokhar and the son of ex-MPA Sheikh Amir Khalil to join PML.
2008 elections
When the government successfully completed its five-year term, President Musharraf shed his military uniform and called for general elections. The elections were scheduled for January 8th but after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, they were postponed to February 18th. Prior to Benazir's death, people were expecting a close race between the PML-Q, PML-N, and the PPP but once she was killed, her husband Asif Ali Zardari blamed the PML-Q for conspiring Benazir's death. It was very strange that soon after the blast that killed Benazir Bhutto, the crime scene was ordered to be washed, thus destroying all evidence. This greatly hampered the PML-Q's campaign and on top of that, they were also responsible for the recent price hike and loadshedding in the country. The PML-Q was also accused of unconditionally supporting Musharraf's infamous policies and so on the election day, the party president and top leadership including Sheikh Muhammad Tahir Rasheed lost from their respective constituencies. Another reason for PML-Q losing the seat in NA-149, was ex- provincial minister Iqbal Khan Khakwani who was also advisor to former Chief Minister Ch. Pervaiz Elahi, kind of promoted as the party’s candidate in NA-149 for four long years but the ticket went to Tahir Rasheed just prior to elections.
2011
Now even PMLQ has become a B Team of PPP and Leaguers are finding it difficult to adjust with PPP. Probably, that is the reason as to why People might be switching to PTI.
