Cheema began his political career as an activist for the student wing of Pakistan Peoples Party in 1980 at the University of the Punjab. In 2004, DAWN reported that Cheema was a suspected member of Al-Zulfiqar which, according to the claim of the then Zia regime, was a terrorist organization formed by Murtaza and Shahnawaz Bhutto to avenge the execution of their late father. He was sent to Lahore Central Jail for being accused in various cases. He was released on the demand of militants involved in the 1981 Pakistan International Airlines hijacking as a trade-off to rescue the passengers of the plane. He later moved to Afghanistan. DAWN also reported that Cheema later returned to Pakistan for a brief time but again left Pakistan as there were a number of cases against him on terrorism charges. Cheema remained outside Pakistan until 1989 and he returned when all the cases against him were withdrawn by the then government of the PPP. After his return, he took part in Bahawalpur politics on the platform of the PPP. He first ran for the seat of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab as a candidate of Pakistan Democratic Alliance from Constituency PP-221 in the 1990 general elections but was unsuccessful. He received 27,904 votes and lost the seat to Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal, a candidate of Islami Jamhoori Ittehad. He was elected to the Provincial Assembly of Punjab as a candidate of PPP from Constituency PP-221 in 1993 general elections. He received 45,684 votes and defeated Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal, a candidate of Pakistan Muslim League . During his tenure as Member of the Punjab Assembly, he served as Provincial Minister of Punjab for Food and Agriculture. He ran for the seat of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab as a candidate of PPP from Constituency PP-221 in 1997 general elections but was unsuccessful. He received 32,727 votes and lost the seat to Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal, a candidate of PML-N. In 2001, he became the District Nazim of Bahawalpur after defeating the Abbasi Nawab family of Bahawalpur and was elected for a second straight time in 2005. In 2003, he was removed from the post of divisional president of PPP on the orders of Benazir Bhutto after Cheema was found supporting the PML-Q candidate instead of PPP. In 2004, he left PPP to join Pakistan Muslim League due to the growing differences between him and the PPP. He was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan as a candidate of PML-Q from Constituency NA-187 in 2013 Pakistani general election. He received 92,972 votes and defeated Saud Majeed. In the same election, he also ran for the seat of the National Assembly from Constituency NA-186 as a candidate of PML-Q but was unsuccessful. He received 61,403 votes and lost the seat to Riaz Hussain Pirzada. During his tenure as Member of the National Assembly, he became the chairperson of National Assembly's Standing Committee on Science and Technology. In 2016, Punjab Police booked Cheema along with others on the charge of violating Section 144. In 2017, he was appointed as the Secretary General of PML-Q. He was re-elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of PML-Q from Constituency NA-172 in 2018 Pakistani general election. On 18 August, Imran Khan formally announced his federal cabinet structure and Cheema was named as Minister for States and Frontier Regions. On 20 August 2018, he was sworn in as Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions in the federal cabinet of Prime Minister Imran Khan. He expressed reservations over being given the ministerial portfolio of Ministry of States and Frontier Regions. On 6 September 2018, his ministerial portfolio was changed from Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions to Federal Minister for Housing and Works.
