BAHAWALPUR, March 29: Mrs Shahida Sattar, widow of Abdul Sattar Laleka, has announced her retirement from the NA-190 (Bahawalnagar III) bypolls. A confirmation to this effect was made on Monday by returning officer Khalid Mahmood, the Chishtian additional district and sessions judge.

He told Dawn by phone that Mrs Shahida Sattar had applied for retirement from the byelection which he had accepted. With her retirement from the bypolls, now only six candidates are left in the field. They are: Tahir Cheema (PML-Q), Shahid Akram (PML-N), Mian Ihsan Bari (MMA), Muhammad Ali Laleka (PPP Parliamentarian), Pervez Akhtar and Muhammad Latif Ansar.

It was learnt that Mrs Shahida Sattar's retirement was moved after a deal with the ruling party's high-ups. Now, she might become adviser either to the prime minister or the Punjab chief minister.

There were reports that Bahawalnagar district Nazim Chaudhry Ali Akbar Waince had taken Mrs Shahida Sattar to the Punjab chief minister in Lahore on Sunday last. After a lengthy discussion there, the chief minister persuaded Mrs Shahida Sattar to retire from the byelection.

It may be mentioned that Ali Akbar Waince had also parted ways with the PPP after he had openly criticized Ms Benazir Bhutto and supported referendum and policies of General Pervez Musharraf.

BAITUL MAAL: Punjab Baitul Maal Minister Chaudhry Muhammad Ijaz Shafi has said the financial assistance for the deserving and poor patients will be ensured from the Baitul Maal funds in hospitals across the province at tehsil level. Speaking at Khanpur on Monday, the minister said the Baitul Maal system would also be computerized in the province.