September 10, 2002	Tuesday	Rajab 2, 1423

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RAWALPINDI, Sept 9: Former federal minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed’s refusal to withdraw his candidature in favour of PML (Q) candidate Nilofer Bakhtiar from NA-56 may jeopardize the entire adjustment between the two on the national and provincial assembly seats in the city.

Mr Ahmed is contesting on both city seats — NA-55 and NA-56 — as an independent candidate. The PML (Q) is supporting him on NA-55 by not fielding a candidate against him. However, the party nominated Ms Bakhtiar to contest from NA-56 and asked Mr Ahmed to withdraw his candidature in her favour.

Mr Ahmed was so adamant on contesting from NA-56 that in one of his media statements, he was quoted as having said only death could stop him from contesting on the seat.

He is stressing on contesting from NA-56, because PML (N) vice-president Zafar Ali Shah, whom he has been blaming for his failure to get PML (N) ticket, is also contesting for the national assembly seat from the same constituency.

Mr Shah’s prospects of winning from NA-56 were boosted after the reports of possible adjustment between his party and People’s Party Parliamentarians, which would then withdraw its candidate from the constituency.

With Mr Ahmed contesting from NA-56, PML (Q) holds little or no chance of winning from there. In view of the situation, Ms Bakhtiar asked her party leadership to convince Mr Ahmed to withdraw his candidature or stop supporting him on NA-55.

The PML (Q) Punjab chief organizer, Raja Basharat, was hopeful that the deadlock would end soon and a situation might not arise wherein they had to part ways with Mr Ahmed.

Political observers, on the other hand, believe that Mr Ahmed has no option other than to withdraw his candidature from NA-56. Otherwise, they say, the situation may be damaging for both PML (Q) and Mr Ahmed. “In NA-55, Mr Ahmed’s wingers on provincial seats are PML (Q) candidates, and he would be heavily relying on them. Therefore, he may not like to lose their support,” an observer said.

Meanwhile, PML (Q) is likely to change its candidate on PP- 14. The ticket was earlier awarded to Rahat Quddusi, who is a provincial office bearer of PML (Q), but the decision might be changed in favour of Atif Kiani.