BAHAWALPUR, Sept 6: Campaign for the by-election to tehsil Naib Nazim office ended on Saturday as the polling is due on Sept 8.

Three candidates, Malik Zahid Channar (district Nazim group), Sahibzada Munawar Abbasi (ARD plus MMA minus Jamaat-i-Islami) and Sohail Pashi (independent) are in the run.

Mr Channar apparently has an edge over his rivals. It is stated that 564 of 706 councillors of 34 union councils of Bahawalpur tehsil attended a recent local government convention. The convention was convened by Nazim Tariq Cheema. Moreover, the Jamaat-i-Islami is also supporting him in stead of the ARD and the MMA nominee, Munawar Abbasi.

On the other hand, opposition group, headed by MPA Mian Riaz Husain Pirzada, also held a gathering of councillors in favour of Munawar Abbasi at the residence of MPA Malik Iqbal Channar which was, according to their claim, attended by 275 councillors.

BAIL CANCELLED: The Lahore High Court, Bahawalpur bench, on Saturday dismissed the bail application of four accused, including a former secretary of the district bar association and a professor, in the Rs2 million ABL dacoity case.

Nine people, including former bar secretary Sarfraz Husain Khera, Prof Azhar Khurshid, cashier Shahzad Ali and Shakil, along with their five accomplices belonging to Tribal Areas of Loralai, allegedly robbed ABL’s Musafirkhana branch in January last.

The five residents of Loralai escaped and a jirga returned Rs1 million, but they failed to hand them over to police.

The police arrested the other four and recovered Rs1 million from their custody.