ABBOTTABAD: Fifty out of 101 candidates fortwo National Assembly and four provincial assembly seats of Abbottabad district are contesting the Feb 8 general elections as independents.

Almost all major political parties, including PML-N, PPP, JUI-F, Pakistan Awami Tehreek, Tehreek-i-Labaik Pakistan and PTI-Parliamentarians, as well as the regional group Hazara Qaumi Mahaz have awarded election tickets.

Seventeen National Assembly candidates have got election symbols for NA-16 constituency and eleven for NA-17.

As for provincial assembly constituencies, the Election Commission of Pakistan has given away symbols to 18 candidates for PK-42, 21 for PK-43, 16 for PK-44 and 18 for PK-45.

The main contest is expected in NA-16 between former National Assembly deputy speaker and PML-N nominee Murtaza Javed Abbasi and senior politician and former governor Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan.

Ali Asghar Khan, the son of late retired Air Marshal Asghar Khan,is also in the running as an independent candidate after the denial of election symbol to his party, PTI.

Mohabat Awan of the PML-N will face PTI leader and former MNA Ali Khan Jadoon, who is contesting election as an independent candidate.

The PPP has awarded its ticket to Syed Saleemshah.

The PML-N has fielded Sardar Fareed Ahmad,a cousin of Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan, in PK- 42 constituency. Former MPA and independent candidate Nazeer Abbasi, Syed Jaffar Shah of the PPP and Ahmad Nawaz Khan of the Qaumi Watan Party are also in the electoral arena.

The PK-43 constituency has 21 candidates, including PTI-backed Rajab Ali Khan, Khalid Rehman of the PML-N, Sardar Sher Bahadur of the PTI-Parliamentarians, Asad Javed Khan of the Hazara Qaumi Mahaz, and former senator Javed Abbasi, who is contesting election independently.

The PML-N has again nominated former MPA Aurangzeb Nalotha for election in PK-44. He will be challenged by 15 candidates, including PTI leader Iftikhar Khan Jadoon, who is in the contest as an independent.

Former provincial minister Qalandar Lodhi is not contesting election this time around following the delimitation of his constituency.

The PML-N has pitched Arshad Awan against PTI leader and former speaker of the provincial assembly Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani in PK-45. Mr Ghani is in the running as an independent candidate.

Saleem Shah of the PPP, Amjad Khan of the Jamaat-i-Islami, Asad Javed of the HQM and independents Waseem Khan Jadoon and Sajjad Akbarwill also contest in the constituency.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2024