RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD: As many as 648 candidates obtained nomination papers for seven national and 14 provincial assemblies of Rawalpindi district till Friday out of whom, 552 submitted them.

The last date for submitting nomination papers is now Sunday after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) extended the date by two days.

As of Friday, all bigwigs of various political parties from Rawalpindi district had submitted their papers.

Former prime minister and National Assembly speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf filed his nomination papers for NA-52, ex-interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan submitted his papers for NA-53 while three PML-N candidates - Hanif Abbasi, Daniyal Chaudhry and Sajjad Khan - filed their papers for NA-56.

Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Mian Khurram Rasul, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) leader Raza Ahmad Shah, Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party’s (IPP) Fayyazul Hasan Chohan, Tehreek-i-Labbaik’s Taimur Khalid and JUI-F’s Dr Hafiz Ziaur Rehman submitted their nomination papers.

Raja Pervez Ashraf, Chaudhry Nisar, Hanif Abbasi, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar submit papers on Friday

In Islamabad, PML-N leaders Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Anjum Aqeel, PPP chairman’s former spokesman Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, PPP’s Syed Sibte Haider Bukhari, Khurram Nawaz, Zeeshan Ali Naqvi and Dr Amjad filed their nomination papers.

Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar submitted his papers as an independent candidate for both NA-47 and NA-48.

All candidates visited the office of the returning officer in the form of rallies, with supporters raising party slogans in and around the office building.

Speaking to media on the occasion, Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians Secretary General Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari said a level-playing field should be provided to all political parties. He said PPP was fielding candidates in all the provinces, adding that the party’s candidates had submitted nomination papers in the three constituencies of the federal capital.

“We hope that the ECP will ensure fair and transparent elections, which is its constitutional responsibility,” Mr Bukhari said, adding that the election results would bring political stability to the country.

Taxila

Former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan submitted his nomination papers as an independent candidate for National Assembly constituency of NA-54 Taxila on Friday.

Chaudhry Nisar’s son, Taimur Ali Khan visited the office of the returning officer at Tehsil Judicial Complex Taxila along with his supporters where he filed both his and his father’s nomination papers for NA-54 constituency.

Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had earlier announced that he would contest elections from both constituencies - Chakri NA-53, which is his home town, and Taxila NA-54. He will also be fielding his son, Taimur, after winning the seats. According to sources, Chaudhry Nisar had been quietly working on a plan to contest the upcoming elections as an independent candidate.

Taimur Ali Khan has also been taking part in active politics and has remained by the side of his father during his public meetings in various localities.

On Friday, Taimur Ali Khan held several meetings and finalised his election strategy at the office of his die-hard supporter Sheikh Zeeshan Saeed at Bhattar industrial estate. Later he left for the office of the returning officer to file nomination papers.

Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had parted ways with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) before the 2018 general elections. He had contested the polls as an independent candidate but lost the NA seat. He, however, was elected to the Punjab Assembly but remained away from the limelight for a couple of years.

Meanwhile, the nomination paper of PTI candidate retired Maj Tahir Sadiq for the National Assembly constituency NA-49 was successfully filed by his wife, Naz Tahir. The papers of Mr Sadiq’s daughter Eman Tahir were also submitted for NA-50.

Earlier on Thursday, Naz Tahir failed to file the nomination papers of her husband who has been in hiding after the May 9 incident. She had alleged that the documents were snatched by unknown persons during a midnight raid on the house of her supporters.

Gujar Khan

As many as 15 candidates filed their nomination papers for NA-52 Rawalpindi I seat of Gujar Khan on Friday.

National Assembly (NA) Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf and his arch rival Raja Jawaid Ikhlas of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) were among the candidates who filed their papers. They visited the office of assistant commissioner/returning officer Gujar Khan with their supporters.

The other candidates who filed their nominations included Farrakh Mahmood Sial, Gul Ikhlaq Hussain, Chaudhry Abid Hussain, Mohammad Ehsan Yunis, Sajjad Ahmed, Raja Khurram Pervez, Raja Javaid Ashraf, Sohail Abbas Raja, Mukhtar Ali, Mohammad Ramzan Awan, Ahmed Raza, Zafar Mahmood Chaudhry and Khalid Mubeen.

Raja Sohail Abbas and Farrakh Sial are prominent supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).

For the Punjab Assembly constituency PP-8, Chaudhry Jameel Ahmed, Farrakh Mahmood Sial, Raja Khurram Pervez, Jamshaid Ahmed Kiani, Khalid Mahmood, Tariq Mahmood, Ameer Afzal Qureshi, Chaudhry Jawaid Kausar, Kashif Mushtaq, Raja Danial Iqbal, Malik Gulfraz Ahmed Faraz, Khurram Pervez Raja, Ismail Tariq Kiani, Raja Tariq Muzaffar, Mohammad Ramzan Awan, Sufi Mohammad Yousaf and Mohammad Ajmal Qureshi submitted their papers.

Similarly for PP-9 seat, former PTI MPA Chaudhry Sajid Mahmood (who has left the party), ex-PML-N MPA Raja Shaukat Bhatti, PPP candidate Chaudhry Sarfraz Ahmed Khan, Gul Ikhlaq Hussain, Habib Nawaz, Yahyah Faiz, Aurangzeb Akhtar, Manan Ali, Raja Abdul Waheed Qasim, Raja Sajjad Sarwar, Shaukat Raja, Raja Ahmed Aziz Bhatti, Ziafat Hussain, Qazi Abdul Waqar, M. Navid Bhatti, Sajjad Ahmed, Raja Babar Hussain, Syed Qalb-i-Abbas, Raja Mohammad Hamid and Mohsin Nawaz Janjua filed their nominations.

Published in Dawn, December 23rd, 2023