The PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) government ended a five-year term for local governments on December 31, 2021. The local governments were elected under the Punjab Local Government Act (PLGA, 2013), were dissolved on May 3, 2019, by the federal government of PTI.

Under the PLGA, the term of local governments (formed on January 2017) was reduced to four years. In my opinion, we have seen zero progress in that in terms of local governments.

However, we have seen the mayor of a city named Bhawana, Haji Shaukat Ali Lohar, working really hard. Lohar has been working with the municipal committee and other town council members.

Bhawana city is the headquarters of Bhawana tehsil, which falls under the Chiniot district in Pakistan’s Punjab. The city has a population of over two lakh.

Lohar was elected as Bhawana’s mayor for a five-year, local government term. He ran for the mayor’s seat on a Pakistan Muslim League (N) ticket. Even though the federal and provincial governments were being run by the PTI, he still managed to succeeded on an opposition party ticket.

There are 11 constituency wards in the Bhawana city council, so there were as many winning members from a total of 33 candidates who contested. From the 11 winning members, five members voted for Lohar to be the mayor of the city.

On December 31, 2021, his tenure reached its end. It was the third tenure for him. He first became a city council member in 2002, and then in 2008.

Beside politics, he is also a philanthropist and a social worker. Furthermore, he is a successful businessman in the agricultural industries. It is interesting to note that he is a self-made man who rose from the ranks. He was born to a father who was an ironworker and a blacksmith. He founded Shaukat Agricultural Industry in 1986 and get know nationwide within a few years.