PESHAWAR: Former MPA Samar Haroon Bilour and three other candidates filed nomination papers here on Thursday for two National Assembly seats reserved for women that were allocated to PML-N from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by Election Commission of Pakistan.

The three candidates are Saeeda Jamshed, the wife of former MPA Jamshed Khan Mohmand, Nargis Ali and Syeda Sonia Hussain.

The nomination papers were submitted with the joint election commissioner (elections) of ECP, who is returning officer for filling the said two seats. PML-N will submit its priority list of candidates today (Friday) in the light of which the ECP would notify the name of MNAs-elect on the two seats.

As Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf was declared not entitled to seats reserved for women and non-Muslims, ECP had allotted five out of 10 the MNA seats reserved for women from KP to PML-N, three to Jamiat-i-Ulema-i-Pakistan and two to Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarian.

The priority list of PML-N was short of two candidates, therefore, ECP asked it to submit two more names to fill those seats.

According to the schedule, scrutiny of nomination papers would be completed till July 14, appeals against acceptance or rejection of papers would be filed till July 17, whereas decisions on those appeals would be made by the appellate tribunal till July 21. Nomination papers could be withdrawn by candidates till July 23 after which final list of candidates would be released on July 24.

The filing of papers by Ms Bilour coincided with the date on which her husband Haroon Ahmad Bilour was killed when a suicide bomber struck his election rally in Peshawar City before the 2018 general elections.

SENATE: Mashal Azam Yousafzai of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Raheela Bibi of PPPP field nomination papers for the Senate seat reserved for women in KP, which was declared vacant by ECP after the resignation of the then incumbent Dr Sania Nishtar. Last date for filing of nomination papers is July 11 (Friday).

Amidst reports of differences within the ranks of PTI over filling this seat, MPAs Shakeel Ahmad and Tariq Mehmood Aryani were proposer and seconder of Ms Mashal Yousafzai.

A war of words has also been going on between members of the party on social media on allotting party ticket for the polls.Dr Nishtar was elected senator in the 2021 Senate polls and her term has to expire in 2027.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2025