March 18, 2008	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 9, 1429

ISLAMABAD, March 17: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Makhdoom Javed Hashmi has vacated his National Assembly seat (NA-55) from Rawalpindi where he defeated former minister and PML-Q stalwart Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.

Talking to Dawn here on Monday, Mr Hashmi said he had decided to vacate the Rawalpindi seat to provide a chance to the people of the city to elect their full-time representative.

Mr Hashmi, who is the only person to win three seats in the February 18 elections, has also decided to vacate his Lahore seat (NA-123).

Mr Hashmi on Monday took oath as MNA from Multan (NA-149). He said that as he basically belonged to Multan, therefore, he had decided to retain this seat so as to maintain a relationship with the roots.

The PML-N leader said the purpose of contesting the election from Rawalpindi was to get the seat vacated from “Qabza Group”, which he had done.

Mr Hashmi said he had contested the election from NA-55 to prove that the person who had been winning this seat in the name of Nawaz Sharif in the past elections had actually betrayed the people of Rawalpindi.

He thanked the people of Rawalpindi for reposing confidence in him. He said they gave him love and respect which he could not forget.

Mr Hashmi said the PML-N would nominate a local and sincere candidate from this constituency for the by-polls.

When contacted, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said he was planning to contest the by-election but he would make a final decision after consulting his supporters.

He said that a meeting in this regards had been scheduled for Tuesday.