December 16, 2007	Sunday	Zilhaj 5, 1428

PESHAWAR, Dec 15: Several candidates, including five former lawmakers of the Jamaat-i-Islami and around 16 lawyers, withdrew their nomination papers for four national and 11 provincial assembly seats in the provincial capital on Saturday.

The candidates were brought to the election offices set up courts in separate processions by their supporters.

Saturday was the last day for the withdrawal of nomination papers. Revised lists of candidates will be released on Sunday.

The JI candidates who withdrew their papers for the National Assembly seats are: Former MNA Shabir Ahmad Khan and Haji Dost Mohammad from the constituency of NA-1, former district naib nazim Dr Iqbal Khalil from NA-2, Sardar Alam Khan from NA-3 and former MNA Sabir Hussain Awan from NA-4.

The JI candidates who withdrew their papers for provincial assembly seats are Dost Mohammad Khan from PF-1, Dr Iqbal Khalil from PF-2, Dr Liaqat Ali from PF-3, Atif Ali Khan from PF-4, former provincial ministers Kashif Azam and Hafiz Hashmat from PF-6 and PF-7, respectively, Israrullah and Fazlullah from PF-8, Arbab Usman from PF-9 and ex-MPA Jawed Khan Mohmand from PF-10.

The lawyers who pulled out of the competition are: Mohammad Khursheed Khan of the PPP from NA-1 and PF-1, Abdul Sattar Khan of PML-N from NA-2, Sarfaraz Mursaleen of the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf from NA-1, Jamal Khattak from NA-2, Syed Yar Shah Bukhari from NA-3, Arbab Shabir from NA-4, Alamzeb Khan from PF-1, Atif Ali Khan and Habib Qureshi from PF-4, Azhar Yousaf from PF-5, Abdullah Sani of PML-N and Ishaq Khalil of the PPP from PF-6, Israrullah from PF-8, Mohammad Arshid of PTI and Farooq Shah of PPP from PF-10 and Mumtaz Iqbal from PF-11.

Some lawyers declined to follow the decision of the bar councils to boycott the polls.

Prominent among them are ex- deputy speaker of the NWFP Assembly Abdul Raziq Khan of the PML-N contesting from PF-10, former secretary-general of the Peshawar High Court Bar Association Asthagfirullah Khan who is a candidate from NA-5, Haroon Bilour from PF-2 and former additional advocate-general Khushdil Khan of ANP from PF-10.