KARACHI: The Election Commission of Pakistan began issuing nomination papers for general and reserved seats to candidates for the general elections scheduled for May 11.

The offices of election commission and returning officers remained open across the province on Sunday, the first day for issuing nomination papers.

A visit to different returning officers and the election commission offices in Karachi indicated that around 350 nomination papers had been collected from returning officers. Out of them, about 250 forms were collected for general seats for national and provincial assembly seats while about 100 were collected against reserved seats of women and minorities.

According to the election commission schedule, the deadline for filing nomination papers is March 29. The papers would be scrutinised from March 30 to April 5. Appeals against acceptance or rejection could be filed by April 9 and they would be decided by April 16. The candidates can withdraw their candidature till March 17 while the final list of candidates would be published on April 18, before final polling on May11, 2013.

Meanwhile, in the rest of the province, nomination papers were obtained for 10 national assembly (NA) and 17 provincial assembly seats.

HYDERABAD: Candidates in Hyderabad district obtained nomination forms for contesting on three NA and six PA seats. Two candidates from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) obtained forms for NA-220 (city): former MNA Salahuddin and former taluka nazim Sabir Qaimkhani. Independent candidate Ameer Ali Shah filled out a form for NA-221 (Qasimabad) while Qari Kamran and Khalid Dhamra of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) obtained forms for NA-219(Hyderabad II).

Candidates who obtained forms for PS-47 (Qasimabad) include: Qomi Awami Tehreek (AT) president Ayaz Latif Palejo, Zulfikar Qadri of the Sunni Tehreek (ST), JUI-F’s Ghulam Sarwar Buledi, Agha Habibullah and Sadar Musakhail of the PML-F.

Meanwhile, independent candidates Ghazi Khan and Ghulam Muhyiuddin obtained forms for PS-50 (Tandojam).

MATIARI: An exciting contest is expected to be seen this year in Matiari district between rival political houses of Jamote and Makhdooms. A total of 15 candidates obtained nomination forms for one NA and two PA seats. Six candidates obtained nomination papers for NA-218, two for PS-43 and seven for PS-44.

Candidates who obtained forms for PA seats include Makhdoom Rafik Zaman, younger brother of PPP parliamentarian Makhadoom Amin Fahim and his son Makhdom Jamiluzzaman. Others included Mohammad Ali Shah Jamote and Haji Razaq Memon of the PML-F.

SHAHEED BENAZIRABAD/NAWABSHAH: Around 134 nomination forms were collected for two NA seats and five PA seats on Sunday.

A total of 50 candidates collected nomination forms from returning officer Abdul Rehman Bhatti for NA-213, PS-24 and PS-25.

Candidates who collected forms for NA-213 (Nawabshah-I) include: former MPAs Asim Kabeer Khanzada and Abdul Majeed, Abdul Razzaq Khoso, Mohammed Mureed Brohi, Abdul Sami Rajput, Shabbir Arain, Tariq Barkat and Mohammed Hussain.

Former MPAs Asim Kabeer Khanzada and Abdul Majeed, and Abdul Sami Rajput, Abdul Razzaq Khoso and Mohammad Mureed Brohi also obtained forms for contesting for PS-24 (Nawabshah-I), besides, Javed Arain, Mohammed Hussain, Nouman Malik and Azam Qaimkhani. Those who obtained forms to contest for PS-25 (Nawabshah II) include: Saleem Raza Jalbani, Khurram Yaar Mohammed Brohi, Abdul Rehman Khoso and Bashir Ahmed Rahujo.

Meanwhile, 84 forms were collected from the office of returning officer Inam Ali Kalhoro for NA-214, PS-26, PS-27 and PS-28.

Former Sindh minister Khan Mohammad Dahiri obtained forms for NA-214 (Nawabshah-II), PS-26 (Nawabshah III), PS-27 (Nawabshah-IV) and PS-28 (Nawabshah-V) while former MPA Dr Bahadur Khan Dahiri obtained forms for NA-214 (Nawabshah-II) and PS-26 (Nawabshah-III).

Others who took forms for NA-214 (Nawabshah-II) include Mohammed Hassan Chandio, Abdul Qadir Khilji, Umer Farooq Khanzada, M. Saeed Khan, Khursheed Ahmed, Atta Mohammed, Zahid Ahmed, Izzat Ali Khan, Taqeer Ahmed, Mohammed Amjad Murad and Hafiz Abdul Razak.

For PS-26: ex MPA Syed Faseeh Ahmed Shah, Haji Riaz Hussain Zardari, Noor Ahmed Dahiri, Khan Mohammed, Mohammed Khushi, Saleem Ahmed, Syed Asif Ali Shah and Abdul Razzak Khoso.

People who plan to contest for PS-27 (Nawabshah-IV) include: Abdul Qadir Keerio, Waseem Bari Keerio, Abdul Sattar Keerio, Noor Muhammed Chandio and Umer Farooq Khanzada.

Meanwhile, Syed Asif Ali Shah, Abdul Qadir Khilji, Noor Ahmed Dahiri, Mohammed Hassan Chandio, Ali Raza Chandio and Muhammed Hanif Chandio obtained forms for PS-28 (Nawabshah-V).

LARKANA: A total of 56 nomination papers were obtained for two NA and four PA seats.

Sindh Assembly speaker Nisar Ahmed Khuhro obtained nomination papers for PS-36. Amir Bakhsh Bhutto, son of PML-N’s Mumtaz Ali Bhutto obtained nomination form for PS-37, former federal minister Shahid Bhutto and former MNA Khalid Iqbal Memon took forms for NA-204 and PS-36.

UMERKOT: Around 14 nominations forms were obtained for NA-228 while 26 forms were obtained for PS-68 (Samaro), PS-69 (Pithoro) and PS-70 (Umerkot).

The prominent candidates include: Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), PPP’s Pir Noor Muhammad Shah Jeelani and former PPP MPA Ali Murad Rajar.

Others include, former taluka nazim of Umerkot Saifullah Khalid Siraj Soomro and Qasim Siraj Soomro of the PML-F, former taluka nazim of Pithoro Haji Muhammad Umer Mangrio, former MQM MPA Advocate Poonjo Bheel, PML-N’s Zahid Ahmed Talpur, Advocate Nabi Bux Azad, Abdul Qadir Soomro, Hemoon Bheel, Advocate Sohno Oad, Ramchand Bheel, Nehal Chand Meghwar, Chetan Das, Muhammad Hassan Rajar, Zulfiquar Khaskheli, Shamshad Ali and Mashooq Ahmed.

SUKKUR: Ten candidates obtained nomination forms for NA-208, PS-13 and PS-14.

They included: PPP leaders Mir Mumtaz Hussain Jakhrani, his brother Shafqat Hussain Jakhrani and Ahmed Nawaz Pechuho, PML-F leader Mir Raja Khan Jakhrani, PPP Shaheed Bhutto’s Haji Ahmed Ali Khoso, PML-N’s Aziz Abro PTI’s Sharif Buledi, central leader of PPP student wing Mir Tahir Khan Lashari, Qadir Bux Jatoi and Deedar Lashari of the Jamaat-i-Islami.