QUETTA, Sept 30: Two groups in the Pakistan Muslim League have refused to accept the candidates nomonitated by the party leadership for the posts of nazims of Quetta district and its two towns.

The party high command has nominated former Quetta nazim Mohammad Rahim Kakar, but former mayor Mir Maqbool Lehri, also of the PML, has announced that he will contest for the post against Mr Kakar.

But Mr Lehri suffered a setback on Friday when his ally Jamal Khan Lango, the city PML president, announced withdrawal of his candidature for Chiltan town nazim in favour of Islam Lehri, the party’s official candidate. “I will abide by the decision of the party’s high command,” he announced at a press conference in the presence of Mr Kakar.

Mr Lango said he would contest the election for the post of city naib nazim in accordance with the party’s decision.

Tariq Butt, a candidate for Zarghoon town nazim, also announced his withdrawal in favour of PML nominee Dr Aziz Qureshi. A candidate for the post of city nazim, Jalil Khan Dotani, and another one for Chiltan town nazim, Behroz Khan Baloch has also quit the contest.

Maqbool Lehri said that he would not withdraw and former chairman of the Balochistan Public Safety Commission, Abdul Ghaffar Kakar, would be his group’s candidate for the post of Zarghoon town nazim.

Another group, Al Fateh, led by MNA Sardar Fateh Mohammad Hasni, has also announced that its panel will contest the election in the city.

The group has nominated Hayatullah Ghailzai, Malik Anwar Nasim Kasi and Malik Saleem Shahwani as its candidates for the posts of nazims of Quetta city and Zarghoon and Chiltan towns. The opposition parties have nominated Dr Kaleemullah Khan of the Pmap as their candidate for the post of city nazim, Malik Naseer Ahmed Shahwani of the BNP-M for Chiltan town nazim and Rozi Khan Kakar of the People’s Party Parliamentarians for Zarghoon town nazim.

The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam is backing Maulana Abdul Qadir Luni for city nazim and Sadiq Nurzai and Abdul Rauf Kurd for Zarghoon and Chiltan town nazims, respectively.