KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari obtained on Monday nomination papers to contest the upcoming elections, the first of his political career, from his party’s traditionally dominant National Assembly constituency in Lyari — NA-246.

The NA-246 constituency which earlier fell in Central district, the stronghold of the MQM, has now become part of Lyari, South-I, after final delimitation of 2018.

Bilawal’s mother, Benazir Bhutto, and his father, Asif Ali Zardari, had emerged victorious in the general elections of 1988 and 1990, respectively, from Lyari.

The young chairman of the party moved an application before the Additional District Judge-III, South, Karachi, Ramesh Kumar, who is the returning officer, through senior lawyer Farooq H. Naek.

Election exercise begins across Sindh

Bilawal intends to contest the forthcoming election for a National Assembly seat on NA-246, Karachi, South-I, to be held on July 25, the application stated.

Therefore, the RO was requested to issue the nomination form for election on the NA seat to the aspiring candidate.

Mr Naek also showed the computerised national identity card of Bilawal to the RO, who issued the form.

PPP’s another candidate Shahjahan Baloch and Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal’s (MMA) candidate Syed Abdur Rasheed also obtained nomination forms to contest the poll from the same constituency.

The returning officers have started issuing election nomination forms to the candidates aspiring to contest the upcoming general elections falling in six districts of the metropolis.

The additional district and sessions judges (ADJs), senior civil judges and judicial magistrates (SCJ&JMs), who have been appointed by the election commission as the ROs, have started issuing the election nomination forms to the candidates upon showing their CNICs.

Twenty-five candidates belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Pakistan Peoples Party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Jamaat-i-Islami have obtained nomination forms to contest the polls from NA-247. JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman intends to contest from NA-247.

Over 10 candidates, including PPP’s Nadir Magsi, PTI’s Khurram Sher Zaman, PML-N’s Khawaja Salman and others were issued nomination forms for NA-240.

Pak Sarzameen Party’s Hafeezuddin obtained forms to contest on the provincial assembly seat, PS-114, while Muzammil Qureshi obtained forms to contest on the NA-243 seat.

Former senator and PPP leader Nabeel Gabol’s son, Nadir Gabol, obtained the election form to contest on the PS-108 seat.

PPP candidate Advocate Qadir Khan Mandokhel obtained nomination forms to contest the polls on the national and provincial assembly seats — NA-248 and PS-113.

Shaukat Khokhar, a candidate of the Christian Peoples Alliance, obtained nomination forms to contest the upcoming general elections on the National Assembly seat, NA-244, while another candidate, Jamaluddin Rajput, obtained forms for the Sindh Assembly seat from Mehmoodabad, PS-104.

More than 25 candidates belonging to the MQM’s Bahadurabad faction also obtained nomination forms to contest the polls on the national and provincial assembly seats in Karachi.

The forms were obtained for Mehfooz Yar Khan, Faisal Sabzwari, Kunwar Naveed Jamil and others.

Other areas of the province

Different political personalities obtained nomination forms in Hyderabad, Tando Allahyar, Matiari and Tando Mohammad Khan districts on Monday.

Around 77 forms were obtained in the Hyderabad district for three national and six provincial assembly constituencies.

Likewise, 67 forms were obtained in Matiari district by different political figures such as Makhdoom Jamiluzzaman, Jalal Shah Jamote, Shah Mohammad Shah, Naseer Memon, Shagufta Jumani, Makhdoom Mahboob Zaman and others.

In Tando Mohammad Khan, Ejaz Shah and Adul Karim Soomro obtained forms for one NA and three PS seats.

In Tando Allahyar, former MNA Abdul Sattar Bachani, former Sindh minister Ali Nawaz Shah Rizvi, Dr Irfan Gul Magsi, Zia Abbas Shah, Mohsin Magsi and Khair Mohammad Khokhar obtained forms for one NA and two provincial assembly seats.

Imdad Pitafi, Raees Ghulam Qadir Mari, Dr Bux Ali Pitafi and Makhdoom Ali Mohammad Walahari also obtained forms.

A.D. Bhutto, the manager of former president house at Naudero, obtained three nomination papers [one in Urdu and two in English] for Bilawal from additional sessions judge Sham Lal for NA-200. He also obtained forms for Faryal Talpur and Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari for PS-10 [Ratodero].

Amin Shaikh, Larkana’s PPP general secretary, obtained papers for PS-11 for Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, president of PPP Sindh chapter, and his daughter Nida Khuhro. PPP-Workers’ Moazzim Ali Abbasi also received a form for the same seat.

Abdul Rauf Korai, a lawyer, obtained nomination papers for NA-201 [Dokri].

Bilawal will arrive in Larkana on June 6 and is expected to submit his nomination papers for NA-200 on June 8, party sources said.

Published in Dawn, June 5th, 2018