166 candidates to vie for 14 National Assembly seats

ECP releases final list of all contestants

LAHORE: A total of 166 candidates have been given the go-ahead by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to contest the upcoming polls for 14 c(NA) seats of Lahore.

The ECP released the final list on Friday of contestants who will be going head-to-head for NA seats in Lahore. A total of 86 candidates withdrew their nomination papers for the general elections. Tough competition is expected in Punjab’s between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The heads of both political parties – PTI Chairman Imran Khan and PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif – will contest the general elections from Lahore.

According to the detailed list, PML-N’s Malik Muhammad Riaz will take on PTI’s Mehar Wajid Azeem in NA-123. Another 11 candidates will also contest elections from the constituency. PML-N’s Pervaiz Malik and Ghazali Saleem Butt and nine others have withdrawn their nomination papers from NA-123.



For the seat of NA-124, PML-N’s Hamza Shahbaz and PTI’s Nauman Qaiser will contest the elections, whereas Pakistan Peoples’ Party’s (PPP’s) Babu Zaheer will also be among the candidates. They will be joined in the race by four other contestants. Meanwhile, Aslam Naz, Muhammad Khan Madni and Muhammad Shaukat have withdrawn their nomination papers from the constituency. A total of 14 candidates are set to take part in elections from NA-125, including PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz.

However, Maryam did not submit her party ticket for the constituency and could contest as an independent candidate. Other contestants include PML-N’s Waheed Alam Khan, PTI’s Dr Yasmin Rashid and PPP’s Zubair Kardar. Those who withdrew from the constituency include Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Bilal Yasin and eight others.

For NA-126, PTI’s Hammad Azhar, PML-N’s Mehar Ishtiaq and three others will take part in the polls, while Rana Mashhood, Mian Marghoob and seven other contestants withdrew from the NA seat.

When it comes to NA-127, PTI’s Jamsheed Iqbal Cheema, PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz and eight other contestants will vie for the seat. Pervaiz Malik, Ali Pervaiz and two other candidates have withdrawn from the constituency.

The battle for NA-128 will be between PML-N’s Rohail Asghar and PTI’s Ijaz Diyal, while 12 others have also filed their nomination papers. Those who withdrew include Khuram Rohail and Usman Hamza.

There is also tough competition expected for NA-129 where PML-N’s Sardar Ayaz Sadiq will go up against PTI’s Aleem Khan, while nine other contestants will be up for election. Khan’s wife, Kiran Aleem Khan, withdrew her nomination papers from the constituency along with PML-N’s Khawaja Saad Rafique, Khawaja Salman Rafique and Waleed Iqbal.

PTI Chief Imran Khan will take on PML-N’s Khawaja Saad Rafique from NA-131, while Aleem Khan and Khawaja Salman Rafique withdrew from the constituency. PML-N’s President Shahbaz Sharif will contest from NA-132 against PTI’s Mansha Sindhu.

PML-N’s Khawaja Hassan and PTI’s Shafqat Mahmood will contest for NA-130.  PML-N’s Pervaiz Malik and PTI’s Ijaz Chaudhry will face off for NA-133. PML-N’s Rana Mubashir and PTI’s Zaheer Abbas Khokhar will fight for NA-134, while PTI’s Karamat Khokhar and PML-N’s Saif ul Malook Khokhar will take each other on for NA-135. Lastly, PML-N’s Muhammad Afzal Khokhar will fight Malik Asad Khokhar for NA-136.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 30^th, 2018.