TAXILA: The district election commission has scrutinised and accepted the nomination papers of 113 candidates for five provincial assembly seats in district Attock, according to the list issued by local election commission on Friday.

According to the list, 144 candidates had filed their nomination papers of which 144 were accepted. The papers of Allama Iftikhar Farooqi of Rah-i-Haq party were rejected.

There are 16 candidates in the provincial assembly constituency PP-1, 24 in PP-2, 24 in PP-3, 23 in PP-4, and 26 in PP-5. Most candidates belong to the PTI followed by PML and PPP.

In the provincial assembly constituency of PP-1 comprising tehsil Hazro, prominent candidates of the PTI are Qazi Ahmed Akbar, President PTI Attock district chapter, his mother Shahnaz Khalid, former special assistant to Prime Minister Amin Aslam Khan, his son Shamsher Aslam Khan, former additional commissioner Changaiz Khan and former Punjab minister Jehangir Khanzada, who belongs to PML-N.

According to returning officer Kamran Ashraf, nomination papers of 16 candidates were accepted.

The constituency PP-2 comprises tehsils Hassanabdal and Fatehjang. According to Dr Sana Ramchand, returning officer, 24 candidates’ nomination papers were accepted.

Prominent among them were former PTI MNA retired Maj Tahir Sadiq, Shamsher Aslam Khan, Jehangir Khan Tahirkhali, former member Punjab assembly Shahwaiz Khan of PML-N, former MPA Iftikhar Khan of PML-N and Sardar Zulfiqar Hayat Khan of the PPP.

The constituency PP-3 comprises tehsil Attock and Attock Cantonment. According to Waqar Akbar Cheema, the returning officer, nomination papers of 24 candidates were accepted while papers of one candidate rejected.

Prominent candidates include PTI’s former Punjab minister Syed Yawar Bukhari, his brother Khawar Bukhari, his uncle Ijaz Bukhari and Zain Ellahi, son of Tahir Sadiq.

The constituency PP-4 comprises tehsil Pindigheb.

According to returning officer Shagufta Jabeen, 23 candidates’ nomination papers were accepted. They included PTI’s former Punjab minister Mohammad Anwar, former MPA Khurrum Ali Khan and PML-N’s Sher Ali Khan.

The provincial assembly constituency PP-5 consists of Jand tehsil.

According to returning officer Mohammad Irfan, 26 candidates’ nomination papers were accepted. They included PTI’s former MPA Jamshaid Altaf, PML-N’s Malik Itibar Khan and former MPA Malik Zafar Iqbal.

Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2023