Mian Muhammad Azhar

Mian Muhammad Azhar (Punjabi and Urdu: میاں محمد اظہر‎) is a Pakistani politician representing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. He is from an Arain noble and landlord family of Lahore Pakistan. He remains a major political player in Lahore. He is a former governor of Punjab (1990-1992) and the founder of PML-Q,[1] of which he was also president until retiring from politics. Azhar was mayor of Lahore between 1987 and 1991.[2] He is the father of Federal Minister Hammad Azhar.

Being a close aide of Nawaz Sharif in the past, he was also awarded the NA ticket from NA-95, the seat vacated by Nawaz Sharif after the 1988 polls. Azhar won elections as the candidate of Islami Jamhoori Ittehad. In 1990, after the dismissal of Benazir Bhutto's first government, he replaced Gen (Rtd) Tikka Khan and became the Governor of Punjab and held the office till 1992. He, however, left the office, which Muslim League insiders said, was due to differences with Sharif. In the 1997 elections, he got elected as MNA on PML-N ticket from NA-92. His relations with Sharif got bitter gradually and finally with the dismissal of Nawaz Sharif's government, he became the head of a new Muslim League called PML-Q. In the 2002 polls, while he was a strong candidate for the slot of prime minister, in a dramatic way, he lost NA elections from both seats of Lahore and Sheikhupura whereas his party managed to form the national government as well as ruling in two provinces amid charges of massive rigging. Without a parliamentary seat he was replaced by Shujaat Hussain as head of PLM-Q. He also failed to win a seat in the 2008 elections.[3][4][5]