• Lahore’s 14 NA and 30 provincial seats attract 600 candidates, including Nawaz, Imran and Bilawal
• Over 800 candidates for Karachi’s 22 NA seats, more than 2,000 aspirants for 47 Sindh Assembly seats
• Balochistan sees 1,600 hopefuls on 16 NA, 51 PA seats
• Election tribunals formed to take up appeals against acceptance, rejection of papers
• Imran’s lawyers Khosa, Raja, Marwat also file papers
The extended deadline for the submission of nomination papers for the 2024 general elections has ended, with prominent politicians entering the electoral race. In Lahore, approximately 600 candidates, including Maryam Nawaz, Hamza Shehbaz, and Imran Khan, filed nomination papers for various constituencies. Tough contests are anticipated, particularly in NA-130, where Yasmin Rashid may challenge Nawaz Sharif. PML-N candidates express confidence in their success, while other parties gear up for election campaigns in Punjab and other provinces. The final lists of eligible candidates will be publicized after the scrutiny process is complete.
‘Without hustle & bustle’
In Rawalpindi, the nomination paper submission process for the 2024 general elections concluded with subdued activity compared to previous elections. A total of 228 individuals submitted papers for seven NA and 13 provincial assembly seats. Key figures such as Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, and Sheikh Rashid Ahmed submitted their nominations. The PTI candidates maintained a low profile, submitting papers for city seats without large gatherings to avoid potential issues. The overall atmosphere in Rawalpindi was calm, with PML-N candidates receiving support. Notably, two PML-N leaders, Chaudhry Daniyal and Sajjad Khan, submitted papers for both NA and provincial assembly seats.
Sindh
In Karachi Division, approximately 2,850 nomination papers were submitted for 22 National Assembly (NA) and 47 Sindh Assembly seats. Around 815 papers were filed for NA seats, and approximately 2,030 were submitted for provincial assembly seats. Notable submissions include MQM-P’s Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, PTI’s Syed Firdous Shamim Naqvi, and MQM-P’s Arshad Vohra. In Hyderabad, 446 papers were submitted for two NA and six provincial assembly seats. In Naushahro Feroze, NA-205 received 28 submissions, and NA-206 received 23. In Sanghar, NA-209 had 32 submissions, and NA-210 had 20. In Shaheed Benazirabad, NA-207 received 17 papers, and NA-208 had 19 submissions. In Umerkot, 91 candidates filed papers for one NA and three provincial assembly seats.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PTI leaders Azam Swati and Murad Saeed submitted papers for NA-15 Mansehra and NA-3 and NA-4 seats respectively.
For the lone NA seat in Lakki Marwat, several notables have filed their papers including former ministers Salim Saifullah and Anwar Saifullah, former senator Usman Saifullah, PTI leader Sher Afzal Khan Marwat, and JUI-F leader Maulana Asjad Mehmood
Similarly, former NA speaker Asad Qaiser, ex-provincial minister Maulana Fazal Ali of JUI-F and Shahnawaz Khan of ANP submitted papers for NA-19 in Swabi.
Balochistan
In Balochistan, more than 1,600 candidates submitted papers for 16 NA and 51 provincial assembly seats. Though the time for submitting nomination papers ended at 4:30pm, the commission allowed candidates — already in the office — to submit their papers after the deadline. The number of total candidates may increase since the commission has yet to receive papers from remote areas of the province.
PkMAP Chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai has filed nomination papers from three NA seats, including Quetta, Pishin and Qila Abdullah. Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani filed papers for Quetta and Chagai seats whereas BNP-M President Akhtar Mengal will contest polls on Quetta and Khuzdar seats.
Other candidates included Nawab Aslam Raisani, former CM Dr Abdul Malik, Sanaullah Zehri, Nawabzada Haji Lashkri Raisani and Changez Jamali.
Election tribunals
Meanwhile, the ECP has appointed appellate tribunals for the disposal of appeals against the decisions of the returning officers regarding rejection or acceptance of nomination papers of candidates for general elections 2024.
The tribunals will take appeals on National Assembly, all provincial assembly constituencies and seats reserved for women and non-Muslims with the jurisdiction mentioned against each tribunal.
According to an ECP notification, 24 tribunals will be set up, including nine in Punjab, six in Sindh, five in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and two each in Balochistan and Islamabad.
Syed Irfan Raza in Islamabad, Mohammad Hussain Khan in Hyderabad, Zulfiqar Memon in Nawabshah, A.B. Arisar in Umerkot and our Peshawar bureau also contributed to this report
Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2023
