SIALKOT: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) seems to have an edge over the PML-N in Pasrur city’s NA-74, Sialkot-III, constituency where two ex-MPAs Chaudhry Munawar Ali Gill and Rana Liaquat Ali are opposing the very party they once were part of.

PTI candidate Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas has pledged to give a “tough time” to PML-N’s Ali Zahid, son of former federal law minister Zahid Hamid. The PPP has fielded Nargis Faiz Malik.

The independent candidates including Munawar Gill also are expected to have their share of the votes.

According to the locals, the PML-N candidate is a newcomer and he is up against Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas, a senior politician who had been a former provincial minister and once general secretary of the PPP Punjab.

Rana Liaquat Ali is contesting polls as an independent candidate against the PML-N’s Mirza Altaf Hussain in Pasrur tehsil’s PP-39, Sialkot-V. He claims to have a significant support of the constituents. The PML-N leadership ignored Rana Liaquat Ali and awarded ticket to Mirza Altaf Hussain (PML-N Saudi Arab president).

The number of registered voters in NA-74 is 475,866 and this constituency now has Pasrur tehsil and rural areas of Narowal. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has established 383 polling stations.

NA-74 is the native constituency of Zahid Hamid who is not in the run this time around because of public sentiment against him.

A veteran PML-N leader, Mr Hamid had to quit as minister after vociferous protests by the general public and politico-religious parties over a controversial amendment to the constitution.

He consecutively won three times from this constituency (NA-114, Sialkot-V in the previous arrangement).

Published in Dawn, July 06th, 2018