October 7, 2002	Monday	Rajab 29, 1423

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MURREE, Oct 6: A tough contest between PML-N candidate Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Suffiyan Abbasi of the MMA for national assembly seat NA-50 has turned the odds in the favour of PPP contestant Ghulam Murtaza Satti.

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former chairman of PIA, who belongs to Union Council Dewal, won the elections four times in the past. It was only in 1997, when he contested as an independent candidate that he faced a tough competition from Raja Zafarul Haq of Muslim League and Raja Anwar of the PPP. However, at that time, he was supported by the people of Murree, Kahuta and Kotli Satiyan, due to the sudden death of his father, the then federal minister, Khaqan Abbasi.

Unlike the past, at present, people have many complaints against him.

They claimed that he never returned to his constituency after winning the election and did not launch any development project in Murree.

Now in the wake of lukewarm public support for him and strong campaigning by the MMA candidate, PPP has a chance to win the seat from the constituency. However, Mr Satti, the PPP candidate, has not shown much commitment to his election campaign in Murree and is yet to visit many important areas and villages.

Before 1985 elections, the PPP was dominant in Murree, but, then, it boycott the elections in protest and supported late Khaqan Abbasi, who after winning, joined the Muslim League.