GUJRAT: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) has finally won the support of its three disgruntled members who were in the race as independent candidates for PP-38 Sialkot by-polls against Ahsan Saleem Baryar.

Nine candidates including two PPP-backed men have withdrawn their nomination papers.

Saeed Bhalli who contested as PTI nominee for PP-38 in 2018 on Wednesday announced withdrawal from the race after a meeting with PTI Punjab president Senator Ejaz Chaudhary, Special Assistant to Prime Minister Usman Dar and others in Islamabad where party candidate Baryar was also present.

Sources said the party leaders had assured Mr Bhalli of accommodating him in future after which he decided to withdraw in favour of Ahsan Baryar and vowed to participate in the campaign of party nominee.

The seat fell vacant after the death of PML-N MPA Khush Akhtar Subhani last month and the polling is scheduled to be held on July 28.

A former PPP MPA, Tahir Hundali who is now in PTI and another party leader Zahid Saleem Bajwa are among the candidates who have withdrawn as Mr Hundali has been appointed Chief Minister Usman Buzdar’s coordinator on housing, town planning, public health and engineering department.

According to a list issued by RO Ibrar Jatoi on the last day of withdrawing the nomination papers, Saeed Bhalli, Tahir Hundali, Sialkot PPP district president Chaudhry Azhar Hassan, Zahid Saleem Bajwa, Waris Ali, Muhammad Anwar, Shafiq Ahmed, Irfan Abbas and Chaudhry Muhammad Naeem are among those who withdrew their papers by submitting their written statements.

At least 19 candidates had filed their nomination papers out of which PTI candidate Qaiser Iqbal Baryar, who is the president of Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), was stopped from contesting the elections after his nomination papers were rejected by the RO and election tribunal on the basis of dual nationality of Britain.

Nine candidates including PML-N’s Tariq Subhani and Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan-backed Faheem Mushtaq are in the race. The main contest is expected between Baryar and Subhani.

Meanwhile, provincial election commissioner Israr Ahmed Khan also visited Sialkot on Wednesday and held a meeting with the local authorities as well as the candidates who were briefed on the election code of conduct. He asked the candidates to direct their polling agents to not leave the polling stations without receiving the result sheet on Form 45 and also sought their cooperation with the law-enforcement agencies for the implementation of security plan.

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2021