BADIN: Former speaker of National Assembly and Grand Democratic Alliance leader Dr Fehmida Mirza, her spouse Dr Zulfikar Mirza, their sons, ex-PPP MNA Sardar Kamal Khan Chang and Arbab Lutfullah, nephew of former chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim, were among many others who filed nomination forms on the last day for submission of papers on Monday.

Dr Fehmida submitted her papers for NA-230, PS-73 (Badin) and PS-74 (Shaheed Fazil Rahu) while Dr Zulfikar filed papers for NA-229 and PS-74; their elder son Hasnain filed papers for PS-72 and the younger son Hassam submitted papers for PS-71, PS-72 and PS-73.

Dr Fehmida will contest against PPP’s nominee Sardar Rasool Bux Chandio and Taj Mohammad Mallah. Dr Zulfikar will lock horns with PPP’s Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur and Mohammad Ismail Rahu. Hasnain will once again contest PPP’s Syed Pappu Shah and Hassam will have to fight it out with PPP’s nominee Mir Allah Bux Talpur.

Ex-PPP MNA files papers as independent

BADIN: Former chairman of Badin district council and PPP MNA Sardar Kamal Khan Chang on Monday filed nomination papers as an independent candidate for NA-229 (Bad­in-1), NA-230 (Badin-II), PS-70, PS-73 and PS-74 after the party denied him ticket.

Visibly enraged Mr Chang said that he could never expect the party leaders to deny him ticket and it was a shock not to find his name on the final list of ticket holders announced on Sunday.

On NA-229 (Badin-1) and NA-230 (Badin-II), Mr Chang will contest against PPP nominees Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur and Haji Rasool Bux Chandio and on PS-70, PS-73 and PS-74 he will have to fight it out with PPP nominees Bashir Ahmed Halepoto, Taj Mohammad Mallah and Mohammad Ismail Rahu.

Meanwhile, Haji Sain Bux Jamali, general secretary of PPP Badin chapter, who was also not given the party ticket, told this reporter that he would not revolt against the party decision and continue working as a committed worker.

Nephew prepares to disturb Arbab Rahim

MITHI: Arbab Lutfullah, nephew of former Sindh chief minister Arbab Ghu­lam Rahim who deserted his uncle’s group and joined PPP about a year ago, filed his nomination papers for PS-57 in Diplo to contest against his uncle, Dr Rahim.

Moreover, Lutfullah’s younger brother Arbab Ameer Amanullah filed papers for NA-222. PPP nominee Qasim Siraj Soomro filed papers in Nagarparkar for PS-55 to fight against GDA’s Arbab Anwar Jabbar and others.

PPP leader Abdul Ghani Khoso, a follower of Makh­dooms of Hala and former taluka nazim, filed papers as an independent candidate after being denied the party ticket. Mr Khoso came at the head of a big protest procession to submit the forms.

His supporters were raising slogans against PPP leadership and slamming it for “importing a candidate from Umerkot district”.

Advocate Lajpat Bheel and advocate Haimraj Bheel submitted forms for PS-56 and NA-222, respectively. The lawyers, who were preparing to fight election from the platform of newly-formed Bheel Ittehad, said that their community had been completely neglected over the decades by all the parties. They, therefore, would contest and win election to show them their strength, they said.

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2018