QUETTA: A total of 122 nomination papers have so far been filed for 16 National Assembly seats and 539 for 51 provincial assembly seats in Balochistan.

Provincial Election Commissioner Niaz Baloch said on Sunday that returning officers were collecting nomination forms from independent candidates and ticket-holders of different political parties.

For National Assembly seats reserved for minorities and women 144 forms have been submitted in the Election Commission office, while 29 candidates have filed papers for Balochistan Assembly seats reserved for minorities and women.

While filing his nomination papers, Tahir Mehmood Khan of the Balochistan Awami Party said the previous government had failed to resolve the issues facing the province. “We got only four months and our government tried it best to resolve public issues, including education, health and water,” he added”

Chairman of the Hazara Democratic Party Abdul Khaliq Hazara claimed that the Election Commission had accepted and implemented 90 per cent of our suggestions about delimitation.

“The real representatives of public will be elected in the next election as the previous government had failed to serve people. They should be ousted in the polls,” he added.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2018