LAHORE, Sept 16: Ruling PML-backed Mian Muhammad Younis Sheikh remains the only candidate in the field for the office of Nishtar Town nazim after the returning officer rejected nomination papers of all other six aspirants and the seventh withdrew his candidature on Friday.

Although the returning officer did not announce that Younis Sheikh had been elected unopposed after the scrutiny, the rejection of candidature virtually means that the PML-supported person is the town’s nazim-elect.

Mr Sheikh had filed objections to the candidature of the ARD-supported candidate for the office, Dr Zahid Akram Nat, and five other candidates on Thursday on the grounds that their proposers and seconders were not listed as voters in the town and as such their nomination papers were suffering legal infirmity.

The others whose papers were rejected were Mujtaba Akram, who is Dr Zahid’s brother, Syed Afzaal Azeem, Muhammad Sajid Khan, Gulsher Khan and Muhammad Sajjad. Chaudhry Muhammad Akram Warraich withdrew his name from the contest.

The returning officer disposed of the objection along with the scrutiny process and no objection case was left undecided with other returning officers for the office of nazim and seats reserved for women, peasants, and workers and minorities.

Meanwhile, according to the lists displayed by the returning officers after scrutiny on Friday, the papers of all six candidates, including PML-backed Amer Mahmood and ARD’s Rana Mashhood Ahmad, an MPA, contesting for the office of the district nazim, were found in order.

The returning officers rejected the nominations of three candidates for nazims in three towns and the fourth withdrew his candidature in another town.

The nominations of Nadeem Abbas from Allama Iqbal Town, Amer Sohail from Samanabad Town and Muqaddas Saleem Qureshi from Shalamar Town were rejected mainly because either they failed to turn up or their proposers or seconders were not listed as voters in the same town. Nazim candidate Allah Rakha withdrew his name from the contest in Aziz Bhatti Town.

As a result of scrutiny, Mian Amer (PML), Mashhood Ahmad (ARD), Col Tahir Husain Kardar (retired), Amjad Mahmood Naz, Shadab Husain Jafri and Mahmood Nawaz Malik remain in the run for the district nazim.

As for Ravi Town, Muhammad Ahad Yousaf Malik (PML), Chaudhry Abdur Rauf (ARD), Waheed Ahmad Chaudhry, Advocate Rai Abdul Basit, Mushtaq Ahmad Mughal, Inamullah Khan, Rana Nasar Iqbal and Dr Rana Mahmood Akhtar are the candidates for nazim’s office. The last named is a Jamaat-i-Islami leader.

Mian Javed Ali (PML), Akbar Khan (ARD), Amer Sohail and Haji Ali Ahmad are in the run for Samanabad town election.

The contenders for Gulberg Town nazim are Faraz Ahmad (PML), Adnan Saqib Butt (ARD), Malik Eisar Elahi and Malik Shahid Aslam.

As for Shalamar Town, the contenders are Begum Shafqatunnisa (PML), Zahid Zulfiqar (ARD), Akhlaq Ahmad Guddu, Muqaddas Saleem Qureshi, Muhammad Anwar, Muhammad Shahbaz and Razaul Karim.

Allama Iqbal Town poses the biggest contest where 10 candidates remain in the contest for the nazim’s office. Brothers Sardar Kamil Omar (PML) and former nazim of this town Sardar Adil Omar are also in the run along with Muhammad Ashraf Khan (ARD), Malik Raashed Sadiq, Zahoor Ahmad, Mehr Mahmood Ali, Malik Nadeem Abbas, Abdur Rashid Bhatti, Jameel Asghar Bhatti and Malik Muhammad Azhar Khursheed.

PML-backed Ejaz Ahmad Diyal, Khalid Ghurki (ARD), Malik Ghulam Habib Awan and Malik Shahid Aslam are in the field for Wagah Town nazim slot. For Data Ganj Bakhsh Town are Tariq Sana Bajwa (PML), Mian Marghoob Ahmad (ARD), Malik Bahadur Husain, Muhammad Javed Iqbal and Khwaja Imran Nazim.

Chaudhry Muhammad Ashraf (PML), Hamid Sarwar (ARD), Dr Hassan Raza Naqvi, Malik Muhammad Waheed, Waqar Nadeem Warraich, Khalid Pervez and Malik Muhammad Shafique are contesting for Aziz Bhatti Town nazim seat.