PPP finalises most election candidates

The Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentary Board has finalised most party candidates from Sindh for the general elections scheduled for February 2024, The Express Tribune has learnt from sources who added that the selection of candidates for Sanghar, Shikarpur, and Hyderabad has been put on hold for the time being. Aftab Shaaban Mirani, a senior PPP politician, is expected to retire, and former Sindh chief minister Qaim Ali Shah has also been advised to retire in favour of his son, Asad Shah.

The sources claimed that the party tickets will be granted to Sardar Ali Gohar Mehar from Ghotki, the Anar family from Larkana, and the Mehar family from Shikarpur. The PPP Parliamentary Board has chosen most of the 61 National Assembly and 130 Sindh Assembly candidates from Sindh.

The official announcement of the candidates is expected after the election schedule is released.

As per details, the Parliamentary Board meeting, chaired by Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto, continued for the third consecutive day on Thursday. Shortlisted candidates from different divisions were individually vetted during the meeting.

The sources suggest that Aftab Shahban Mirani, a close associate of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and a veteran politician, is retiring from electoral politics. Asad Ali Shah, son of Qaim Ali Shah, has applied for a Sindh Assembly seat from Khairpur.

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Qaim Ali Shah has been advised by colleagues and some party leaders to retire from electoral politics and consider a Senate position with the party's approval.

For the elections, the PPP plans to introduce several new faces from Sindh to both the National and Provincial Assemblies.

The board has decided to grant tickets to Makhdoom Fakhrul Zaman from Matiari and Khurram Karim Soomro from Tando Muhammad Khan. Both candidates will be contesting elections on provincial seats for the first time.

A final decision is yet to be made regarding the tickets for Shehryar Shar and Aslam Abro, who recently joined the PPP from PTI.

The Parliamentary Board is expected to finalise candidates for Mirpurkhas Division, Dadu, Hyderabad, Badin districts, and other cities in the coming days. Asif Ali Zardari will be consulted for the selection of candidates from Karachi Division.

As Bilawal is currently visiting KhyberPakhtunkhwa, he will preside over the Parliamentary Board meeting via a video link.