NAWABSHAH, April 18: Ten-party alliance suffered a setback in the district as PML-N’s Sardar Sher Mohammed Rind announced on Thursday contesting election as an independent candidate after the alliance declared Syed Zahid Hussain Shah of PML-F its joint candidate for NA-213 (Nawabshah-I).

Speaking at a press conference at the Nawabshah Press Club, Mr Rind said it was sad the party leadership ignored him under the influence of some provincial party leaders. The alliance discriminated against him and declared Mr Zahid the joint candidate who was a weak candidate and would never be to win, he said.

He said that he would not quit the PML-N but would contest election as an independent candidate and gift the NA seat to his leader Mian Nawaz Sharif after winning it.

He said that he was pulling out of race for PS-25 (Nawabshah-II) in favour of independent candidate Ali Nawaz Brohi.

Mr Rind said that Brohi community had thousands of registered voters in PS-25 constituency but the alliance ignored him and awarded ticket to Syed Bagh Ali Shah of PML-F. Mr Brohi accompanied Mr Rind during the press conference.

Meanwhile, MQM is all set to give a tough time to PPP as it announced names of some influential and strong candidates for national and provincial assembly seats in Shaheed Benazirabad district.

MQM zonal in-charge Shiraz Masood Khan announced that former PPP MPA Inayat Ali Rind would be in run for NA-213 as the party’s candidate and former MQM MPA Asim Kabeer Khanzada for PS-24.

Inayat Ali had been a jiyala and close aide of President Asif Ali Zardari. He left PPP recently and joined MQM after developing differences with party leaders over some internal issues. He has remained an MPA and administrator of municipal committee Nawabshah and wields enormous influence among voters in NA-213 constituency.

Inayat Ali can give a tough time to Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, sister of President Zardari, who had remained undefeated on NA-213 during successive elections of 2002 and 2008.

On PS-24, PPP’s Chaudhry Tariq Masood Arain has won twice during last two elections but he too will face a strong contestant in MQM’s Asim Kabeer Khanzada who had defeated a PPP candidate in 1997 election on an MQM ticket.

A businessman by profession, Khanzada had also remained a strong and influential administrator of municipal committee and enjoyed good reputation among all communities living in PS-24 constituency.

The other MQM candidates are; Sikander Keerio for NA-214, Mureed Brohi for PS-25 Nawabshah-II, Khan Mohammed Zardari for PS-26 Nawabshah-III, Mohammed Saeed Khanzada for PS-27 Nawabshah-IV and Abdul Qadir Khilji for PS-28 Nawabshah-V.