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| September 17, 2002 | Tuesday | Rajab 9, 1423 |
Tough contest likely in NA-98
GUJRANWALA, Sept 16: The Millat Party candidate for the national constituency NA-98, which comprises urban areas, can give tough fight to the PPP, the PML-N and the PML-QA candidates.
The PPP fielded former MPA and its divisional president Imtiaz Safdar Warriach, the PML-N Sardar Ziaul Haq, the brother of Sadar tehsil Naib Nazim Sardar Inamul Haq, and the PML-QA former MPA Azam Cheema. The Millat Party allotted ticket to Shamaila Liaquat Warriach, the daughter-in-law of slain PPP MNA Arshad Warriach, and the PML-C Advocate Muhammad Ashraf. The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal’s candidate is Syed Tahir Shah.
PPP’s Imtiaz Warriach and PML-QA’s Azam Cheema are senior parliamentarians and have been elected thrice in the past. PML-N candidate Sardar Ziaul Haq, MMA’s Syed Tahir Shah, Millat Party’s Ms Shamaila and PML-C’s Muhammad Ashraf are new faces. A close contest is expected among the PPP, the PML-QA and the PML-N candidates as they belong to Jat caste. However, Ms Shamaila also belongs to Jat caste and can give surprise to her rivals because her father-in-law had been elected twice from the constituency.
The constituency comprised populated areas of Ghakkhar town which have been separated from Wazirabad tehsil in the fresh delimitations of constituencies. Eminabad town, Eminabad Morr and Maraliwala are also included in this constituency.
FINAL LIST: There are 177 candidates — 46 for seven national and 131 for 14 provincial assembly constituencies — in the final list of candidates released by the Election Commission on Monday after withdrawal of nomination papers.
There are maximum nine candidates in run in NA-96 and NA-98 followed by four each in NA-99 and NA-101. Similarly, maximum 16 men are in field in provincial constituency PP-99 and minimum six in PP-101.
EX-PARLIAMENTARIANS: A dozen former MNAs and MPAs and 14 relatives of ex-parliamentarians are contesting elections on seven national and 14 Punjab assembly seats.
Three ex-MNAs, PML-N’s Mahmood Bashir Virk, PPP’s Abdullah Virk and PML-C’s Hamid Nasir Chattha and eight ex-MPAs Barrister Usman Ibrahim, Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal (former provincial ministers) Shaukat Hayat Chattha, Shahid Akram Bhinder, Rana Shamshad Ahmad Khan, Imtiaz Safdar Warriach, Azam Cheema, Zahid Pervez and Syed Khalilur Rehman Chishti are contesting the elections.
While PML-N ex-MNA Ghulam Dastgir Khan, PPP’s former provincial minister Shah Nawaz Cheema and former adviser Mian Azhar Hasan Dar fell prey to the graduation condition, they brought their children and other family members forward, Engineer Khurram Dastgir, Ms Asima Shah Nawaz and Saudul Hasan Dar, respectively.
PPP former federal minister Haji Amanullah’s son Imranullah joined the PML-QA and is contesting on a provincial assembly constituency, while former federal minister Rana Nazir Ahmad Khan’s son Umar Nazir, former MNA Chaudhry Ijaz Ahmad’s son Bilal Ijaz, former MPA Mehr Muhammad Salim’s wife Robina Salim, former MPA Azam Cheema’s son Tausif Azam, former MPA Abdul Rauf Mughal’s brother Saeed Mughal, former MNA Ghulam Sarwar Cheema’s son Adnan Sarwar Cheema are also in the run. — Correspondent
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