With the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) set to conduct the upcoming general elections on February 8, 2023, in light of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling, as many as 214 candidates have received nomination papers for two national and four provincial constituencies in Abbottabad.
The latest development has pushed the election frenzy across the district to new heights.
Among the notable candidates for NA-16 are former KPK governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan, former MPA Sardar Shamoon Yar, Sardar Manzoor Mumtaz of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Murtaza Javed Abbasi of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Abdul Razzaq Abbasi of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Sardar Shabbir of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), along with Nabeel Abbasi, Dr Azhar Khan, Shamreez Khan, and 31 others.
For NA-17, candidates including Malik Mohabat Awan of PML-N, Muhammad Ishaque Zakaria, Ali Asghar Khan of PTI, Ali Khan Jadoon, Muhammad Azhar Khan Jadoon, Naqibullah Khan, Shaukat Tanoli, Taimur Khalid, Muhammad Zia Khan, Muhammad Murtaza, and Syed Saleem Shah have collected their papers.
Read PML-N demands two more days for filing papers
For provincial constituency PK-43, 25 candidates, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarian leader Sardar Sher Bahadur, PML-N Barrister Javed Abbasi, Zulfikar Javed Abbasi, Khalid Rehman, and Shahzad Gul Awan of Tehreek-e-Insaf, Sardar Shabbir, and Sardar Abrar of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam have received their papers.
For provincial constituency PK-44, 37 candidates, including former MP Sardar Aurangzeb Nalotha and Qalandar Khan Lodhi, have filed their nomination papers.
Moreover, 28 aspiring candidates emerged for PK-45, featuring Jamaat-e-Islami's Amjad Khan Jadoon, Syed Saleem Shah of the PPP, Fawad Ali, Momina Basit of PTI, Shoukat Tanoli, independent candidate Sajjad Akbar, and Gul Khan Chengizi of Muslim League-N among others.
On Thursday, a total of 77 candidates of Haripur officially obtained nomination papers for seats in the National and Provincial Assemblies. For the National Assembly constituency, NA-18 in Haripur is set to witness a diverse array of candidates from various political parties, each contesting for a chance to represent the people.
Read ECP extends deadline for submission of nomination papers by two days
Among the notables in NA-18 Haripur are Babar Nawaz Khan from Pakistan Muslim League (N), Umar Ayub Khan representing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and Ali Zawar Naqvi of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), alongside 17 other contenders.
In the Provincial Assembly constituency, PK-46, the competition is fierce, with former Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Faiza Rashid and former provincial minister Qazi Muhammad Asad and Akbar Ayub Khan securing their nomination papers, among 19 others.
The Khanpur tehsil constituency, PK-47, is attracting attention with former Provincial Minister Arshad Ayub Khan and Raja Faisal Zaman, along with 15 other candidates, having successfully obtained their nomination papers.Similarly, in the Ghazi tehsil constituency, PK-48, the contest is heating up with former MPA Gohar Nawaz Khan, Faisal Zaman, and District President of Pakistan Muslim League (N) Sahibzada Hameed Shah, among 26 candidates, all set to compete for the coveted seats.
With additional input from APP
Published in The Express Tribune, December 22nd, 2023.
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