KARACHI, Oct 9: The election commission received on Tuesday nomination papers from 14 more candidates for the Sindh Assembly seat (PA-21) of Naushero Feroze-III, in addition to the five candidates who had already filed papers on Monday, making 19 the total number of candidates contesting for PA-21.

Tuesday was the last day for submitting nomination papers for PS-21 and also for one National Assembly seat (NA-245) in District Central Karachi. The election commission had received nomination papers from only three candidates for NA-245 while no more aspirants came forward on Tuesday.

The NA-245 had been occupied by Dr Farhat Mehmood Khan of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) while PA-21 by Dr Ahmad Ali Shah of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and both fell vacant after the Supreme Court unseated the lawmakers because of dual nationality.

The election commission had received nomination papers by Jameel Ahmad, Javed Shaukat and Rehan Hashmi against the National Assembly seat.

For PA-21, two candidates each from PPP and National People’s Party (NPP), Syed Sarfraz Shah and Syed Athar Ali Shah, and, Syed Abrar Ali Shah and Muhammad Kamran, respectively had filed their nomination papers against the provincial assembly seat on Monday along with an independent candidate, Syed Asif Ali Shah.

However on Tuesday, the commission received papers from 14 more candidates for PA-21. The aspirants include Syed Aftab Ali, Maqsood Ali Khushk, Ali Achcho Lakho, Rafique Ahmad Abbasi of the PPP, Rahim Bux Khoso and Nazeer Ahmad Solangi of the PPP-Shaheed Bhutto, Arshad Ahmad Sehto of Pakistan Muslim League-Functional, Abdul Alim Ghangro of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Maulana Samiul Haq group), Siknader Ali Depar of JUI (Fazlur Rehman group), and five independent candidates, Ajab Ali, Nadir Ali Kuleri, Tanveer alias Salamat Ali, Syed Munawwar Ali Shah and Shahid Akram Malik.

Moreover, according to the Sindh Election Commissioner Sono Khan Baloch, 10 more lawmakers have also filed declarations affirming that they don’t posses the nationality of any other country except Pakistan.

The number of legislators from Sindh to have filed declarations has now reached 60.

He said the lawmakers were informed to submit their declaration forms tomorrow.