December 15, 2007	Saturday	Zilhaj 4, 1428

MUZAFFARGARH, Dec 14: Pakistan Democratic Party Chairman Nawabzada Mansoor Ahmad, the son of late Nawabzada Nasarullah Khan, has said that he will contest the Jan 8 elections from two National Assembly and one Provincial Assembly constituencies.

Talking to Dawn, he said he had fielded his candidates from PP-256, PP-257 and PP-258 and NA-178 and NA-179. He said he himself was candidate from NA-178, NA-179 and PP 256 while from PP-257 and PP-258, his sons Nawabzada Ahmad and Nawabzada Shahid will be candidate.

Nawabzada Mansoor Khan started his electioneering quite late as earlier he, being part of the All Parties Democratic Alliance, was not certain about his participation in the elections.

In NA-178, Nawabzada Mansoor will face his brother Nawabzada Iftikhar Ahmed, who is a Pakistan Muslim League-Q candidate. Nawabzada Mansoor said the government supported the PML-Q candidates openly and was using public exchequer lavishly to ensure its candidates.

In NA-178, Nawabzada Mansoor is relatively in good position where he is in the face of Pakistan People’s Party candidate Jamshed Dasti, who is contesting the elections for the first time. In his speeches, Nawabzada Mansoor speaks against Gen Musharraf and not his brothers.

This is not the first time that brothers are contesting against each other. Malik Ghulam Mustafa Khar, Malik Miladi Khar and Malik Rabbani

Khar have been contesting against each other in the past elections from different party platforms.

CANDIDATES CHANGED: The PPP has allotted the party ticket for PP-257 to advocate Jam Mazhar Dewala. Earlier, the party ticket was given to former member of the Punjab Assembly Malik Qaswar Langrial who had left the PML-Q and joined the PPP three weeks ago on assurance of former district nazim Qayyum Jatoi that he would be given the party ticket. The PPP also changed its candidate for PP-252. At first, the PPP awarded the ticket to Malik Mudassir Khar on the insistence of Hina Khar’s father Rabbani Khar. Now the party has awarded the ticket from this constituency to Engineer Bilal Khar.