HYDERABAD: A total of 32 nomination papers were rejected and 414 others were accepted by returning officers for three national and six provincial assembly seats of Hyderabad district as scrutiny of papers ended on Saturday.

Prominent among those whose papers were accepted included Shah Owais Noorani, son of late Allama Shah Ahmed Noorani, who would emulate his father by contesting polls against Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) from NA-220, one of two main constituencies of Hyderabad City. Awais Noorani, who heads Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan, would also be contesting from one of the provincial constituencies of the city as well if he didnt withdraw his papers.

Shah Ahmed Noorani had last fought election from Hyderabad in 1988 and lost to MQM although he had won the 1977 election from the city as a Pakistan National Alliance candidate from then NA-167.

The ROs accepted 414 papers out of 446.

For the six provincial constituencies, nomination papers of 300 candidates out of 328 were accepted and the rest were rejected.

On NA-218 (Qasimabad-cum-Rural taluka), forms of Maulana Taj Mohammad Nahiyoon of JUI-F; Khawand Bux Jahejo of PTI; Ayaz Latif Palijo of QAT; Hussain Tariq Shah of PPP and others were accepted; for NA-219 (Latifabad), PPP’s Dr Irfan Magsi; JI’s Dr Mairajul Huda Siddiqui, MQM-P’s Sabir Kaimkhani, Fahim Baig Mughal (believed to be an MQM-London activist contesting as an independent candidate) and others were accepted. Two forms were rejected while 50 were accepted for the constituency.

For NA-220 (City), 46 forms were accepted for the seat. Those whose forms were accepted included JUP-Noorani’s Sahibzada Abul Khair M. Zubair, Arman Chohan of JUI-S, Khawand Bux and Babu Ilyas of PTI, Awais Kamran of JUI-F, Salahuddin of MQM-P, PPP’s Nizam Arain, Mukhtiar Ahmed alias Ajiz Dhamra, Dr Irfan Magsi and Mohammad Awais Siddiqui Noorani of JUP.

For PS-60 (Qasimabad), forms of QAT’s Ayaz Latif Palijo, PTI’s Naik Mohammad Brohi, PPP’s Jam Khan Shoro and Dr Irfan Magsi and others were accepted. Twenty-eight 28 forms were accepted for the seat.

For PS-61 (Tandojam), candidature of Sharjeel Inam Memon was accepted. Thirty-one forms, in all, were accepted here and three were rejected. PTI’s Khawand Bux Jahejo’s form was also accepted among others.

For PS-62, 48 forms were accepted including those of Awais Aurangzeb of ANP; Sabir Kaimkhani of MQM-P and Abdul Jabbar of PPP.

For PS-63, 59 forms were accepted including those of MQM-P’s Sohail Mashhadi, PTI’s Mustansir Billah and PPP’s Sanam Talpur.

For PS-64, 71 forms were accepted including those of Rashid Khan and Waseem Hussain of MQM-P and Mukhtiar Ahmed alias Ajiz Dhamra of PPP.

For PS-65, 63 forms were accepted and nine rejected. Forms of Nasir Hussain of MQM-P, Saghir Qureshi and Mir Balach of PPP, JUP’s Shah Awais Siddiqui were among those accepted.

Published in Dawn, january 1st, 2024