GUJRAT: Two candidates, one backed by the Pakistan People’s Party – Azhar Chaudhry – and the other who is party’s ex-MPA, Tahir Hundali, now in the ruling PTI, have withdrawn their nomination papers for the by-poll to be held in PP-38 (Sialkot) on Monday.

Ibrar Jatoi, Returning Officer (RO) for the PP-38 told Dawn that both candidates had formally withdrawn their nomination papers after filing applications with his office.

June 30 is the last date for withdrawing the nomination papers after which the final list of candidates will be issued.

The by-poll is scheduled to be held on July 28 for the provincial assembly seat which was vacated due to the death of the PML-N MPA Khush Akhtar Subhani.

Development linked to recent Parvez-Zardari meeting in Lahore

Azhar Chaudhry, who is also the PPP’s Sialkot district president said that he had withdrawn the nomination papers on the direction of the party’s senior leadership.

He added that so far the PPP leadership had issued no directions to him to support any candidate in the PP-38 by-poll as such a decision would be made after holding consultations with the local chapter of the party.

Sources said Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, during his recent meeting with the PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari in Lahore, had sought the party’s support for the PTI candidate Ahsan Saleem Baryar, who is son of PML-Q’s Punjab senior vice president Saleem Baryar.

Earlier, in the recently held by-polls in NA-75 (Daska) and PP-51 (Wazirabad), the PPP had withdrawn its candidates in favour of the PML-N aspirants.

It is learnt that the PPP’s Sialkot chapter may take its own decision regarding support of any candidate in the by-poll. In 2018 general election the PPP’s candidate for PP-38 could bag only 597 votes. However, Tahir Hundali had got around 12,000 votes in 2018 as an independent candidate and he is now supporting the PTI candidate in the by-poll.

As per local observers, the actual by-poll contest is expected between the PML-N’s Tariq Subhani, also an ex-MPA and the PTI’s Ahsan Saleem Baryar. The PTI’s ticket holder for 2018 polls, Saeed Bhalli, is also in the run as an independent candidate this time.

Initially, the PTI had pitched Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) president Qaiser Iqbal Baryar for the by-poll, but after rejection of his nomination papers by the RO and election tribunal, for holding British nationality, the party awarded the ticket to his nephew, Ahsan Baryar.

Meanwhile, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of Pakistan Sikandar Sultan Raja presided over a meeting at the office of provincial election commissioner in Lahore on Monday to review the arrangements being made for the Sialkot by-poll and implementation of the election code of conduct in the constituency.

The CEC directed the local administration to keep the miscreant, who had cause unrest during NA-75 by-poll, away from PP-38, besides banning launch of any uplift scheme in the constituency and transfer and posting of any government official in the district.

He warned that any official found involved in any illegal activity might face expulsion from service as per the election laws.

Published in Dawn, June 29th, 2021