TOBA TEK SINGH: A PPP’s disgruntled candidate from Faisalabad PP-108 returned his ticket to the party after its leadership did not award him a ticket for NA-100.

Sources said Saad Saeed Iqbal, the son of the late PPP MNA Saeed Iqbal and grandson of former PPP provincial minister Chaudhry Talib Hussain, had applied for the NA-100 but the PPP gave the National Assembly ticket to a new entrant, Sidra Saeed Bandesha, and nominated Saad for PP-108 seat within NA-100. At this, he got offended and refused to contest at the provincial assembly seat. After his refusal, the PPP awarded the provincial assembly ticket also to Ms Bandesha who will now contest on both seats.

PTI: A former PTI provincial minister and ticketholder from NA-98 Faisalabad Hafiz Mumtaz Ahmad Gujjar demanded allotment of a symbol of his choice after the PTI was not given the bat. Gujjar was allotted the symbol of goat. He said he would file an appeal against the decision of the returning officer to get another symbol of his choice.

Meanwhile, a number of PTI candidates were arrested by police in different cities. They included three PTI ticketholders from Vehari. They included Jehanzeb Khan contesting for NA-159 and Ali Raza Khakwani for PP-235 and Aurangzeb Khichi for PP-236.

At Jalalpur Pirwala, police arrested PTI ticketholder from PP-224 Arshad Waqas Chachra advocate while in Multan police arrested PTI candidate for PP-224 Barrister Waseem.

BURNT: A physically challenged child was burnt alive after a fire broke out in his room at Chak 216-RB Bara Muhammadwala on the Jaranwala Road in Faisalabad. The Rescue 1122 said Roshan Zahoor (10) was asleep alone in a room of his house while the coal fire ignited to keep his room warm by his parents spread to his bed. As a result, he was burnt alive and all items kept in the room also reduced to the ashes.

THEFT: Thieves took away steel fence worth more than Rs500,000 from the M-4 at night.

Tameezur Rehman, a construction company official, claimed in the FIR registered by Gojra Saddar police, the suspects had removed security fence installed near Chak 304-JB.

OBITUARY: Chaudhry Mazhar Ali Gill, a former MPA from Samundri, died after a protracted illness. He was 80.

He won the MPA seat in four general elections from 1985 to 1999. He was the father of former PML-N MPA Arif Mahmood Gill.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2024