DERA GHAZI KHAN: PML-N candidate Usama Abdul Karim has been declared elected unopposed from PP-289 Dera Ghazi Khan-IV, according to the official Return of Uncontested Election (Form-34).

The returning officer announced that only one valid nomination paper was received for the constituency while no other candidate remained in the field after scrutiny and withdrawal. As a result, Usman Abdul Karim was elected unopposed without polling.

The notification was issued on Friday and signed by the RO.

Karim’s 10 rival candidates, including former chief minister Dost Muhammad Khosa and his son, withdrew from the race.

According to details, this result came about when the remaining contestant, Muslim League-Jinnah’s candidate Muhammad Ibad Sadozai, withdrew his nomination after allotment of symbols last night under Section 65 of the Election Commission of Pakistan’s rules and retired from the contest. Consequently, only one candidate, Usama, remained in the field and he was automatically declared elected unopposed.

According to the Election Commission of Pakistan rules, if a candidate retires under Section 65, they are excluded from the electoral process. If only one candidate remains in a constituency, the RO prepares Form-34 and completes the proceedings for an uncontested election.

The by-election in PP-289 was scheduled for Jan 25. However, on the last date for withdrawal of nomination papers, nine out of eleven candidates had withdrawn from the contest. On Jan 1, the RO issued Form-33, according to which only two candidates, Usama Abdul Karim (PML-N) and Ibad Khan (Muslim League-Jinnah) remained in the contest. Subsequently, Ibad Khan also retired under Section 65, leaving no contest in the constituency.

It is noteworthy that Usama Abdul Karim is the son of PML-N Senator Hafiz Abdul Karim and a leader of the PML-N’s youth wing.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2026