NAWABSHAH: The nomination form of former head of state Asif Ali Zardari, who heads the Pakistan Peoples Party-Parliamentarians (PPP-P), was filed for the NA-213 Nawabshah-I seat of the National Assembly on Wednesday.

Advocates Abu Bakar Zardari and Ghulam Shabbir Zardari submitted the form on behalf of Asif Zardari in the office of the returning officer. Muttahida-Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) leader Zakir Hussian Jamali and an independent candidate Sardar Abdul Hameed Khoso also submitted their forms for the same seat.

Khairpur: Pakistan Muslim League-Functional chief Pir Sibghatullah Shah Rashdi -- who also heads the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) -- on Wednesday allotted party ticket to former Sindh chief minister Syed Ghous Ali Shah for the National Assembly seat, NA-208, and Sindh Assembly seat, PS-26 Khairpur.

In Hyderabad, Qaumi Awami Tehreek (QAT) secretary general Ayaz Latif Palijo submitted his nomination form for PS-62 Qasimabad seat.

Seventeen other candidates submitted their nomination forms for different provincial assembly seats and most of them belonged to the Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP).

Candidates belonging to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Sindh United Party (SUP) and other nationalist groups are likely to file their nomination papers on Thursday. SUP president Syed Jalal Mahmood Shah is also likely to contest for a seat from Hyderabad district.

The last date for the submission of nomination forms is June 8.

BADIN: A large number of aspirants belonging to the PPP, PTI and Mirza group, besides independent ones, received nomination forms for the two National Assembly and five provincial assembly seats from the district.

Prominent among them were Mirza group’s Dilber Sindhi and PPP’s Mir Ghulam Ali Khan Talpur, Dada Halepoto Haji Sain Bux Jamali, Sardar Ghulam Rasool and Khan Sahib Jamali.

The PPP, reliable sources say, has allowed all aspirants in Badin to file their nomination papers telling him that the names of ticket-holders would be announced after “scrutiny”. This has caused confusion and unrest among those who had applied for party tickets and appeared in interviews with the top leadership.

Dilber Sindhi told this reporter that he had obtained nomination forms for Dr Zulfikar Mirza and his son Barrister Hasnain Mirza from the returning officer in Matli. He said that Dr Mirza would file his form for NA-229 comprising Matli, Talhar and part of Tando Bago taluka.

Hasnain was expected to contest from PS-72 Tando Bago constituency from where was elected twice, he added.

He said former National Assembly Speaker Dr Fahmida Mirza would contest from Badin and her nomination papers would be obtained on Thursday.

MITHI: PPP Senator Gyanchand, Advocate Qeemat Rai, Raja Bilalani and many others obtained nomination papers from the returning officers concerned for the two National Assembly and four provincial assembly seats from Tharparkar district.

Nomination papers for PTI’s Shah Mehmood Qureshi and other parties’ leaders including Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Dr Mahesh Kumar Malani, Dost Ali Rahimoon and Arbab Lutufallah had already been obtained.

Almost all prospective candidates for provincial and national assemblies have received nomination forms but none have submitted them so far as the parties have yet to finalise names of ticket holders.

Sources told this reporter that 30 PPP leaders including former MNAs Fakeer Sher Mohammad Bilalani, Pir Noor Mohammad Jilani and former MPAs Dr Mahesh Kumar Malani, Dost Ali Rahimoon, Makhdoom Naimatullah, Dr Khatoo Mal Jeevan and other prominent leaders who recently joined PPP like Arbab Lutfullah and his younger brother Arbab Ameer Amanullah had obtained papers and were in the race to get party tickets.

In PS-55 Nagaparkar, former MPA Makhdoom Naimatullah, Qasim Siraj Soomro, Lala Lajpat Rai Bheel, Rana Hamir Singh, Veerji Kolhi, Abdul Ghani Khoso, Karim Dino Dal, Sardar Khan Khoso, Makhdoom Fakhruzzaman and others were in the fray.

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2018