LAHORE: The PML-N will announce its candidates for the July 25 polls on Friday or Saturday, spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb told Dawn on Wednesday.

About possible delay in the PML-N’s election campaign because of the health condition of Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, the former information minister said that everyone in the party was very much concerned about her health and we pray for her fast recovery. “The party will finalise the schedule of Mian sahib’s rallies once her condition improves,” she said.

PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif is returning to Lahore on Thursday from London after seeing his sister-in-law (Kulsoom) and he will sign the lists of the candidates. “The party leadership, especially Nawaz Sharif, has finalised the candidates and they have subsequently been informed,” said a PML-N leader.

The candidates, who have got green signal by the leadership about their selection, have launched their electioneering in their constituencies. In Lahore, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Khwaja Ahmed Hassan, Waheed Alam, Saiful Maluk Khokhar, Afzal Khokhar and Malik Riaz have started workers meetings in their constituencies.

Shahbaz Sharif says the PML-N is the only political party that conducted parliamentary board’s meetings for 86 hours to shortlist the candidates.

“Each candidate was interviewed in order to make the process of awarding tickets transparent and democratic. The parliamentary board held hundreds of interviews of aspirants who submitted their applications for tickets. All are equal in our party. The parliamentary board did not prefer anyone and I too appeared before it to be interviewed as aspirant for the ticket,” he said.

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2018