LARKANA: Nomi-nation papers of Rashid Mehmood Soomro, general secretary of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl Sindh, and his brother Nasir Soomro as covering candidate for contesting NA-194 were accepted on Tuesday after Wapda officials, who had accused them of default on payment of electricity bills, failed to turn up at the returning officer’s office with evidence.

With the last hurdle clearly out of the way, Rashid Soomro is now poised to run against Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. Nasir Soomro is district emir of JUI-F Larkana.

Rashid Soomro told journalists outside the RO office that the Wapda officials had produced certain bills issued in the name of his father and grandfather on Monday but they did not come to the RO office on Tuesday to prove liabilities against them.

Bilawal’s nomination papers for NA-194 and NA-196 (Shahdadkot) have also been accepted. His political secretary Jamil Soomro and local PPP leaders visited the office of RO for NA-194 for the purpose where the officer cleared the papers of the PPP chairman. Late Dr Khalid Mehmood Soomro, father of Rashid Mehmood, used to contest against Benazir Bhutto for NA-196.

The nomination papers of Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, president of PPP Sindh, were cleared in the scrutiny and accepted for NA-197 and PS-17 (Warah). He will now run for NA-197, PS-11 (Larkana), PS-15 (Mirokhan) and PS-17 (Warah), simultaneously.

The nomination papers of Faryal Talpur, chairperson of PPP’s women wing, got through the scrutiny and were accepted for the PS-10 (Ratodero), when she along with Khuhro, Dr Shafqat Soomro and Abdul Fatah Bhutto visited the RO office.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2023