ABBOTTABAD, Oct 5: Election campaign in Abbottabad district has picked up momentum as almost all the political parties and electoral alliances have started showing their strength with public meetings in the city.

The Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) broke the ice first when they held a big public meeting in Hockey Stadium while the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) will show its strength on Saturday at the same place followed by the Millat Party meeting at Bar Club to be addressed by its chief, Farooq Ahmed Leghari.

The Pakistan Muslim League (PML-QA) is expecting their central and provincial leadership on Oct 7 while PML(N) is satisfied with the tiring efforts of former chief minister Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan, who had brought all the party candidates in the area in a fighting position.

Contest on both the National Assembly seats is becoming tougher day by day yet Amanullah Khan Jadoon of PML(QA) seems to be leading in the race, closely chased by Dr Azhar Khan Jadoon, who is contesting as an independent but his entire election campaign is being launched from the platform of PML(N) and with full backing of Sardar Mehtab, Azhar Jadoon has become Amanullah’s main rival.

On the other hand, a newcomer in the politics with hardly one-and-a-half month political life, Ali Asghar Khan, who is younger brother of the late former federal minister, Omer Asghar Khan, seems to be getting a wide range of support and in the upper belt of Abbottabad district, where Omer Asghar’s Sungi Development Foundation has undertaken countless number of developmental projects, Ali Asghar is considered to be the potential candidate.

Alhaj Habib-ur-Rehman Abbasi of the MMA is also getting support from the public while People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) candidate Sardar Abrar is trying his best to gain support of the masses.