KASUR, Feb 11: The NA-140 constituency, where by-elections are going to be held on Feb 25, has become a battleground between two former foreign ministers who now represent the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf.

Candidates in the run are Malik Rasheed Ahmed, a former tehsil nazim who recently quit PML-Q and joined the PML-N, Dr Azeemuddin Zahid Lakhvi (independent), Sardar Sarwar Dogar of the PPP (a former PML-N ticket holder) and Khurram Saleem Naul (independent).

Clear lines have been drawn as Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri is supporting an independent candidate who is a disgruntled worker of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and a former ticket holder of the party.

Close aides of Sardar Assef Ahmed Ali are supporting PPP candidate Sardar Sarwar Dogar.

Both Ali and Kasuri recently joined the PTI and were aspiring to contest the next general election from the NA-140 constituency from where they contested the last general election from PPP and PML-Q platforms, respectively.

According to local political observers, there is a possibility that the PML-N will withdraw its ticket from Malik Rashid and award it to Lakhvi.

Rana Usman Alam, a PPP ticket holder who recently joined the PTI and Sardar Javed Ashiq (son of Sardar Ashiq who won the slot of MNA from NA-140 in the general elections of 1988 and 1993) announced their support for Lakhvi at a meeting here. Kasuri also attended the meeting.