December 18, 2007	Tuesday	Zilhaj 7, 1428

PESHAWAR, Dec 17: By Monday a total of 156 candidates were in the run for four National Assembly and 11 provincial assembly seats in the provincial capital.

According to the final lists of candidates notified by the respective returning officers, 38 candidates were contesting for the four National Assembly seats, while 118 were vying for the 11 provincial assembly seats.

During the 2002 general election, a total of 104 candidates were in the field, of whom 23 had vied for four National Assembly constituencies and 81 for the 11 provincial assembly seats.

This time the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Awami National Party (ANP) and Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) have nominated their candidates for all the 15 seats. The PML-Q has nominated candidates for three National Assembly and 11 provincial assembly seats.

The PML-N is vying for two National Assembly and nine provincial assembly constituencies. The Pakistan Peoples Party (Shaheed Bhutto) has fielded its candidates for six provincial assembly constituencies only.

The number of candidates for the National Assembly seats are: 13 for NA-1, nine for NA-2, eight for NA-3 and eight for NA-4.

The number of provincial assembly candidates in the 11 constituencies are: 12 for PF-1, 10 for PF-2, 12 for PF-3, 17 for PF-4, 16 for PF-5, 11 for PF-6, eight for PF-7, 11 for PF-8, seven for PF-9, six for PF-10 and eight for PF-11.

A total of six former parliamentarians and federal ministers are trying their luck for the National Assembly seats, while 14 former MPAs and state ministers are contesting for the provincial assembly seats.

The former parliamentarians taking part in the forthcoming polls are: former ministers Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour of ANP and Amir Muqam of PML-Q; former senators Engineer Iqbal Zafar Jhagra of PML-N and Syed Aqil Shah of ANP; and, former MNAs Maulana Rehmatullah Khalil of MMA and Arbab Muhammad Zahir of ANP.

The former MPAs contesting in different constituencies are: Ayub Shah, Muhammad Azam Afridi, Syed Zahir Shah and Iftikhar Jhagra of PPP; Bashir Bilour and Arbab Muhammad Ayub Jan of ANP; Dr Muhammad Zakir Shah, Muhammad Ibraheem Qasmi, Maulana Amanullah Haqqani, Asif Iqbal Daudzai and Khalid Waqar Chamkani of MMA; Dr Seemen Mahmud Jan of PML-Q; Haji Abdur Raziq Khan of PML-N and former member of MMA and Ghaliba Khursheed are contesting as independent candidates.

The candidates for NA-1 are: Haji Ghulam Bilour of ANP, Ayub Shah of PPP, Haji Abdul Jalil Jan of MMA, Muhammad Zahoor of PPP-S and Muhammad Zubair Anjum of MQM. Ashoni Kumar, Aurangzeb, Jawad Aziz, Fakhre Alam Khan, Khwaja Yawar Naseer, Saifullah, Abdullah Jan and Mian Sultan Muhammad are independent candidates for NA-1.

The candidates contesting for NA-2 are: PPP’s Dr Arbab Alamgir Khalil, Arbab Najeebullah of ANP, Maulana Rehmatullah of MMA, Syed Zahoor Shah of PML-N, Malik Najab Gul of PML-Q, Asifullah Qasmi, Haji Aftab Ahmad, Dr Taj Muhammad and Muhammad Attiqur Rehman.

Those contesting for NA-3 are: Iqbal Zaffar Jhagra of PML-N, Muhammad Hashim Babar of ANP, Noor Alam Khan of PPP, Muhammad Intikhab of PML-Q, Azizuddin of MMA, Ajmal Khan Afridi, Arbab Roohullah and Taimoor Khan.

The candidates for NA-4 are: Arbab Muhammad Zahir of ANP, Amir Muqam of PML-Q, Muhammad Azam Afridi of PPP and Maulana Nisar Khan of MMA. Arbab Muhammad Nawaz, Syed Kamal Badshah and Niazullah are independent candidates for NA-4.