LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf central Punjab president Dr Yasmin Rashid says the by-election on 20 seats in the province has become a do or die matter and added the party will win maximum seats and form its government in Punjab again.

Dr Rashid on Saturday held meetings with the party leaders as well as corner meetings in the four by-election constituencies in Lahore.

Speaking at a public meeting at Iqbal Avenue Housing Society in PP-170 constituency, Dr Rashid said it was high time that the nation rose and voted against the corrupt and money launderers who have made general public’s life miserable in just over two months.

She said the PTI government gave health cards to 30 million families in Punjab and added that 400,000 people had got their eye operations alone. She said the PTI government gave Rs12,000 per month to poor people during coronavirus pandemic.

Former governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema said the government’s all tactics of harassing PTI leaders and workers would go futile as masses would reject the turncoats and vote for the PTI candidates.

PTI’s PP-170 candidate Zaheer Abbas Khokhar said this seat was vacated because PTI ticket-holder had become turncoat and lost the seat. “The PTI will teach a lesson to the turncoats in the by-election,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has finalised the list of candidates contesting elections in the 20 by-election constituencies. The candidates have also been allotted election symbols. According to the finalised list, 175 candidates are contesting the election. The major contest will be between the sitting government PML-N and main opposition party PTI.

In PP-07 (Rawalpindi-II), the PTI has launched Shabbir Awan and the PML-N fielded Raja Sagheer Ahmad.

In PP-83 (Khushab-II), the PTI has fielded Hassan Malik, while the PML-N candidate is Amir Haider Sangha.

In PP-90 (Bhakkar-II), the PTI has launched Irfan Ullah Khan Niazi and the PML-N has fielded Saeed Akbar Khan.

In PP-97 (Faisalabad-I), the PTI has fielded its candidate Ali Afzal Sahi and the PML-N Muhammad Ajmal.

In PP-125 (Jhang-II), the PTI has fielded Mian Muhammad Azam and the PML-N Faisal Hayat. In PP-127 (Jhang-IV), the PTI has fielded Mehr Muhammad Nawaz and the PML-N Mehar Muhammad Aslam.

In PP-140 (Sheikhupura-VI), the PTI has fielded Khurram Shehzad Virk and the PML-N launched Mian Khalid Mahmood.

In PP-158 (Lahore-XV), the PTI has fielded Mian Muhammad Akram Usman and the PML-N launched Rana Ahsan. In PP-167 (Lahore-XXIV), the PTI has fielded Shabbir Ahmad and the PML-N Nazir Ahmad Chohan. In PP-168 (Lahore-XXV), the PTI has fielded Muhammad Nawaz Awan and the PML-N launched Malik Asad Ali. In PP-170 (Lahore-XXVI), the PTI has fielded Malik Zaheer Abbas and the PML-N Muhammad Amin Zulqernain.

In PP-202 (Sahiwal-VII), the PTI has fielded Muhammad Ghulam Sarwar and the PML-N Malik Nauman Ahmad Langrial.

In PP-217 (Multan-VII), the PTI has fielded Makhdoom Zain Hussain Qureshi and the PML-N Muhammad Salman.

In PP-224 (Lodhran-I), the PTI has fielded Muhammad Aamir Iqbal Shah and the PML-N Zawar Hussain Warraich. In PP-228 (Lodhran-V), the PTI has fielded Izzat Javaid Khan and the PML-N Nazir Ahmad Khan.

In PP-237 (Bahawalnagar-I), the PTI has fielded Syed Aftab Raza and the PML-N Fida Hussain.

In PP-272 (Muzaffargarh-V), the PTI has fielded Muhammad Moazzam Ali Khan and the PML-N launched Syeda Zehra Basit Bukhari. In PP-273 (Muzaffargarh-VI), the PTI has fielded Yasir Arfat Khan and the PML-N launched Muhammad Sibtain Raza.

In PP-282 (Layyah-III), the PTI has fielded Qaiser Abbas Khan and the PML-N launched Muhammad Tahir.

In PP-288 (D.G. Khan-IV), the PTI has fielded Sardar Mohammad Saifuddin Khosa and the PML-N launched Abdul Qadir Khan.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2022