ISLAMABAD: As the election campaign enters its final leg in the federal capital, ‘independent’ candidate Khurram Nawaz in NA-48, PTI-backed nominee Amir Mughal in NA-46, and former PPP senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar in NA-47 are on a much solid ground to bag maximum votes.

According to a list issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) about 180 candidates are in the running in the three constituencies of Islamabad.

Dawn observed that Amir Mughal did not face much competition in his constituency, as his opponent Anjum Aqeel Khan was seemingly weakened due to internal rifts within the PML-N in NA-46.

A PPP candidate, Imran Ashraf, brother of ex-PM Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, is not in a position to win polls either. Mian Aslam of the Jamaat-i-Islami may come third in the election.

Malik Saeed, a resident of Golra, said: “We are quite confused this time about our party nominee, whom we don’t like.”

Amir Mughal, Mustafa Khokhar, and Khurram Nawaz emerge as top contenders in three constituencies

In NA-47, Mustafa Khokhar, who has plans to set up a political party after elections, may win the NA-47 seat, since it is believed he might outshine tested PML-N candidate Tariq Fazal Chaudhry in the Feb 8 elections.

PTI lawyer Shoaib Shaheen and PPP’s Sibtul Haider Bukhari may not be able to put up much of a fight due to their weak position.

“We want to support an independent candidate because we have tested all the three major parties in the past,” a voter Shahid Khan said.

The PML-N, in particular, will face a tough time in elections, after it entered seat adjustment with the IPP, made up of PTI turncoats.

Initially, IPP’s Amir Kiani was set to contest from NA-47, supported by the PML-N.

However, the decision was changed at the request of Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, who complained to Nawaz Sharif about the decision and he was given back the NA-47 constituency.

Mr Kiani refused to contest polls from NA-48 and instead, Raja Khurram Nawaz was fielded by the IPP and the PML-N in the constituency.

Khurram Nawaz is being considered as the “strongest candidate of the two parties” in NA-48 (Islamabad-III).

Another popular candidate in this constituency is Mustafa Nawaz, who is contesting from two constituencies in Islamabad.

Before 2002, the federal capital had only one National Assembly seat but in that year the number of NA seats had increased to two.

Under the 2017 census, another NA seat was created. The areas which fall in Zone-4 and Zone-5 of Islamabad come in the jurisdiction of NA-47 and NA-48 (north-east of Islamabad) while NA-46 covers areas which are located in Zone-1, Zone-2 and Zone-3 (south-west of Islamabad).

The federal capital had remained a stronghold of PTI in the 2018 polls after PTI leaders Asad Umar, Ali Nawaz Awan and Khurram Nawaz emerged victorious on all seats.

Interestingly, this time the PTI has to field new faces. Amir Mughal has replaced Asad Umar in NA-46, Ali Bukhari is the PTI nominee in NA-47, whereas NA-48 has gone to Shoaib Shaheen, a lawyer who represented Imran Khan.

Khurram Nawaz is still in the running from NA-48 but not on the PTI ticket. He is a candidate of the IPP.

NA-46 (formerly NA-54): In this constituency PTI leader Asad Umar won by securing 56,945 votes, while Anjum Aqeel of PML-N got 32,991 votes. Raja Imran Ashraf stood fifth with only 4,019 votes.

NA-47 (formerly NA-53): In this constituency PTI founder Imran Khan won the seat with 92,891 votes followed by PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi who bagged 44,314 votes while PPP candidate Sibtul Haider Bukhari received 17,970 votes. After Imran vacated this seat, PTI’s Ali Nawaz Awan won the by-polls with 50,943 votes whereas Raja Waqas Mumtaz of PML-N received 32,313 votes.

NA-48 (formerly NA-52): This seat was also clinched by the PTI as its candidate Khurram Nawaz emerged victorious with 64,690 votes. PPP candidate Afzal Khokhar got 34,072 votes and PML-N leader Tariq Fazal Chaudhry bagged the third position with 33,519 votes.

To find your constituency and location of your polling booth, SMS your NIC number (no spaces) to 8300. Once you know your constituency, visit the ECP website here for candidates.

Published in Dawn, February 5th, 2024