MANSEHRA: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has named its election candidates for two National Assembly constituencies in Mansehra and Torghar districts.

PML-N central vice-president Sardar Mohammad Yusuf will contest the next elections in NA-14 Mansehra-I and party supremo Nawaz Sharif’s son-in-law retired Captain Mohammad Safdar in NA-15 Mansehra-cum-Torghar.

However, nominations for five provincial assembly constituencies in the region have yet to be made by the party.

The election tickets were given away to Mr Yusuf and Mr Safdar during a meeting of the party’s parliamentary board in Lahore with Mr Sharif in the chair.

No decision on candidates for five PA constituencies

Mr Yusuf told reporters here that the board interviewed applicants for Mansehra-Torghar region’s five provincial assembly seats and would name candidates shortly.

He said there were seven national and 17 provincial assembly constituencies in Mansehra, Torghar, Kolai-Palas, Upper and Lower Kohistan, Abbottabad and Haripur districts.

The PML-N leader said former nazim of Balakot tehsil Junaid Qasim and former MPA Mian Ziaur Rehman were interviewed for the ticket of PK-36 Mansehra-I, former MPA Sardar Zahoor and Salaudden Khan for PK-37 Mansehra-II, former chiefminister’s adviser Zafar Mehmood and former MPA Naeem Sakhi for PK-37 Mansehra-III, Mohammad Arif for PK-38 Mansehra-IV and Adalat Khan and Sardar Shahjehan Yusuf for PK-40Mansehra-V.

He said Mr Sharif wanted to name only those as election candidates who could serve the people in line with the party’s agenda.

Meanwhile, the Awami National Party’s Torghar chapter on Wednesday announced it won’t support anyone who joined the party just to claim election tickets.

“Ours is a real democratic party, so we, the followers of Bacha Khan’s philosophy, won’t accept election nominations of those who became part of our party to serve personal ends only,” ANP district general secretary Asghar Khan told a party meeting in Kunder Hassanzai area.

The meeting was attended by all members of the ANP’s executive body except district president Zahid Khan.

The other participants included village and neighbourhood council chairmen from all parts of the district.

They demanded of party provincial president Aimal Khan to withdraw the award of the election ticket to Zareen Gul Bacha, who, they said, opposed the ANP in Torghar for almost a decade.

“We want a candidate who follows the true legacy of the ANP and serves people wholeheartedly,” Mr Asghar said.

The participants formed a committee to decide who to support in elections if the party doesn’t withdraw Bacha as candidate.

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2023