SUKKUR: The appeal filed by former sports minister Sardar Mohammed Bakhsh Mahar against rejection of his nomination papers for PS-20 was turned down by the Sukkur Election Tribunal on Tuesday.

The appeal was heard by judge Faheem Ahmed Siddiqi who upheld the decision of the returning officer concerned.

The RO had rejected his nomination papers on the grounds that he had not declared all his assets as was mandatory to qualify for the 2018 general elections in the nomination papers.

The sardar is affiliated with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

Meanwhile, PPP candidates Mir Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani (NA-196 Jacobabad) and former MPA Mir Aurangzeb Khan Panhwar (PS-1 Jacobabad) along with former provincial minister Mir Manzoor Khan Panhwar, Mir Rehmatullah Khoso, Mir Gul Mohammed Jakhrani, Mir Sabir Jakhrani and others visited Khoso House to meet Arif Khoso, an influential figure of the area and chairman of the Meeral UC and seek his community’s support in the elections.

Elders of the community forming ‘Khoso Alliance’ later declared their support for the PPP candidates in NA-196 and PS-1 constituencies.

The PPP candidates also visited Ramzanpur UC where Jacobabad district council member Mir Allahyar Bhayo arranged a gathering of his community and announced its support for Mir Aijaz Jakhrani.

Also on Tuesday, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf candidates led by former Senate chairman Muhammadmian Soomro, who is contesting for NA-196, visited another leader of the Khoso community, Bhooro Khan Khoso, who extended full support of his community members for them.

The other PTI candidates and activists accompanying Mr Soomro were Moham­med Aslam Abro (PS-1 Jacobabad), Sardar Sakhi Abdul Razzak Khoso (PS-3 Garhi Khero), former DIG Mir Nadir Khoso, Sardar Sajjad Buledi, Mir Asghar Panhwar and Mir Ahmed Ali Brohi. The gathering was held in the Bahadurpur area.

KHAIRPUR: The Pir of Doonho and an influential figure of the Baberloi town committee of Khairpur district Syed Rizwan Ali Shah along with former general secretary of the district bar association Syed Jaffar Ali Shah on Tuesday extended their support to the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), according to a statement.

The statement was issued by the Pir of Doonho after his meeting with Pir Sibghatullah Shah Rashidi (Pir Pagara).

The statement said that the Syed community of Baberloi would support the GDA candidate for NA-208, Syed Ghous Ali Shah.

It said that the decision was taken after PPP’s performance over the past decade was reviewed by the community, which found it disappointing. It said the PPP lawmakers from the constituency had failed to deliver leaving the town without basic amenities.

Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2018