Sindh, Balochistan: ANP names candidates for national, provincial assembly polls

Party will contest 6 NA and 21 provincial seats from Balochistan, 15 NA seats and 34 provincial seats from Sindh.

QUETTA/ KARACHI:

The Awami National Party has unveiled the names of its candidates for national and provincial assembly seats in Balochistan and Sindh.

The parliamentary board of the party’s Balochistan chapter held a meeting on Wednesday, to issue tickets for the upcoming general elections. Following the meeting, the board shortlisted candidates for six National Assembly seats and 21 Balochistan Assembly seats.

Those named for NA seats from Balochistan include Nek Mohammad Kakar for NA 260, Haji Nazimuddin Kakar for NA 261 and Haji Abdul Jabbar Kakar for NA 262.

ANP will field Nek Mohammad Kakar in the polls for the provincial assembly as well. The candidate has been allotted another ticket for the PB 1 constituency.

ANP’s strongest candidate in Balochistan, however, appears to Engineer Zmarak Khan, who is being fielded in the PB 12 constituency. Zmarak was the sole ANP candidate to win a seat from the province in the previous elections, achieving a victory in the same constituency.

Apart from these two candidates, the party rests high hopes with Sardar Asghar Khan Achakzai and Hazar Khan Nasir, who will be fielded for PB 11 and PB 14 respectively.

Candidates from Sindh:

Meanwhile, at a press conference in Karachi on Wednesday, ANP Sindh chapter president Shahi Syed announced the names of candidates for NA and Sindh Assembly seats. The party has finalised 15 candidates for NA seats from Sindh and 34 candidates for the provincial assembly seats.

According to Syed, the party’s general secretary will contest elections for the provincial assembly seat PS 93, in place of former Sindh labour Minister Ameer Nawab who won the seat in the last election. Former MPA Amanullah Mehsud, meanwhile, will contest the polls from PS 128 – the constituency he was elected from the last time.

Syed said the the candidates’ names were announced after a four-day assessment by the party’s parliamentary board.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 28^th, 2013.