December 17, 2007	Monday	Zilhaj 6, 1428

HARIPUR, Dec 16: After completion of scrutiny and withdrawal of nomination papers, 23 candidates, among them a woman, are left in the race for one seat of the National Assembly and four of the NWFP Assembly in Haripur district.

The provincial election tribunal disqualified former NWFP Assembly speaker Habibullah Tareen for PF-50 and former MPA Faisal Zaman of the

PML-Q for PF-52, who had filed nomination papers as an independent candidate, when their rivals challenged their degrees.

In all, 16 candidates withdrew their papers.

According to the final list of the contestants, former district nazim Dr Raja Amer Zaman (independent), former minister of state Omar Ayub Khan of the PML-Q, Sardar Mushtaq of the PML-N and independent candidates Dr Riaz Beg and Syed Waqar Shah are in the run for NA-19.

For PF-49, Jamaat-i-Islami’s former provincial minister

Raja Faisal Zaman is contesting as a Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl) candidate against his relative Raja Sheeraz Haider of the

PML-N, Salim Akhtar Awan of the PPP, Sardar Ahmed

Yar Jang of the PML-Q and Mian Hamid Awan of the MQM.

For PF-50, Dr Faiza Rasheed of the PPP, former PML-Q MPA Qazi Asad (independent), District Nazim Yousaf Ayub Khan’s brother Arshad Ayub of the PML-N, Mumtaz Hashmi of the JUI-F and independent candidates Raja Tahir Akhtar, Dr Tariq Kazmi, Sher Yar Khan and Dr Riaz Beg are the contestants.

For PF-51, former provincial minister Akhtar Nawaz Khan is contesting as an independent candidate against PML-N’s Zulfiqar Ahmed and Ibrahim Shah of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F).

For PF-52, former chief minister Pir Sabir Shah of the

PML-N, the PML-Q’s Fahd

Khan and independent candidate Farooq Shah are in the run.