ISLAMABAD, July 12: The Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) on Monday nominated Dr Sikandar Hayat and Dr Mahesh Malani as its candidates for by-elections for the Attock and Tharparkar National Assembly seats.

This was announced by ARD Secretary-General Iqbal Zafar Jhagra at a news conference at the camp office of the Pakistan Muslim League-N. Dr Sikandar Hayat was the runner-up in the last elections in the Attock constituency. He had obtained 41,674 votes against 65,672 secured by PML-Q's Eman Waseem.

He was one of the six ARD men who had submitted nomination papers following the failure of the alliance to field a joint candidate from Attock due to differences between the PPP and the PML-N.

The PML-N had already announced its support for the PPP candidate for the Tharparkar seat. Mr Jhagra confirmed that the differences between the PPP and the PML-N had been resolved after intervention by Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.

"We feel proud of our leaders and happy that they got the matter resolved," the ARD secretary general said while replying to a question. Mr Jhagra said that whenever the local leadership faced any difficulty, it looked towards the leadership abroad.

Giving reasons for the delay in the nomination of ARD candidates, he said both the PPP and the PML-N had fielded strong candidates in Attock. "Now after lengthy consultations, we have selected the best candidate," he added.

He said the ARD wanted to give a befitting response to the government's 'drama' through which Mr Shaukat Aziz was being imposed on the nation as the prime minister. He said even the common man considered Mr Aziz an 'imported prime minister'.

Mr Jhagra said the appointment of a temporary prime minister and a prime minister-in-waiting was an 'insult' to parliament. Responding to a question, the ARD secretary-general said the alliance could move court to challenge and expose what he called pre-poll rigging in the by-elections. About chances of cooperation with the MMA, Mr Jhagra said that ARD's doors were open to every party.