Losing by-polls: Courts cancel bails of 161 election candidates

Most of them were wanted by NAB and FIA

MULTAN: In a recent development, courts in Multan cancelled the pre-arrest bails of 161 candidates belonging to various political and religious parties after they failed to secure seats in provincial and national assemblies, sources told The Express Tribune.

Among the said candidates, 50 contested polls for six seats of National Assembly, while 111 contested for 13 provincial assembly seats in the district. The courts granted bails to these candidates owing to the general elections 2018.

Those who contested polls on the seats of National Assembly included 28 independent candidates and 22 nominated by various parties. Similarly, among the 111 candidates of provincial assembly, 73 were independent and 37 belonged to various political parties. These candidates belong to Pakistan Muslim-league Nawaz, Pakistan Peoples Party, Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan, Mustaqbil Pakistan Party, All Pakistan Muslim League, Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek, Sunni Tehreek, Mutahhida Majlis-e-Amal, Pakistan Kisan Ittehad, Pakistan Awami Raaj Party, Awami National Party, Pak Sar Zameen Party, Pakistan Seraiki Party and Seraikistan Democratic Party.

Among these candidates, six belong to Pakistan Muslim-league Nawaz, five from Pakistan Peoples Party, 22 from Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan, two from Pakistan Seraiki Party,11 from Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, three from All Pakistan Muslim league, six from Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek, two from Awami National Party, three from Mustaqbil Pakistan Party, two from Pak Sar Zameen Party, two from Sunni Tehreek, two from Pakistan Kisan Ittehad, three from Awami Raaj Party, two from Tehreek-e-Labaik Islam, one from National Party, one from Seraikistan Democratic Party, 74 independent candidates and the remaining 16 from various small religious parties.

Most of the candidates belong to religious parties that have failed to secure a single seat from Punjab, particularly from South Punjab.

When The Express Tribune scribe spoke to the people of six constituencies of Multan, they said that they had rejected these candidates as many of them were wanted by NAB and FIA in corruption cases.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 31^st, 2018.