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Published 13 Oct, 2002 12:00am

Aitzaz to retain Lahore seat

BAHAWALPUR, Oct 12: Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan will surrender his National Assembly seat from Bahawalpur, it was learnt on Saturday.

According to unofficial results, the PPP leader was declared elected from NA-187 after securing 73,646 votes against PML-N’s Khalid Mahmood Jajja who got 37,071 votes.

Party sources said Aitzaz Ahsan would prefer his Lahore constituency (NA-124).

Political analysts said that former minister Syed Tasneem Nawaz Gardezi, who lost NA-186 (Bahawalpur IV) to Mian Riaz Husain Peerzada of the National Alliance, might approach the PML-Q or District Nazim Tariq Cheema.

Some PPP leaders claimed that their party would filed its own candidate from NA-187, considered to be Mr Cheema’s constituency. The PPP had not fielded any candidate against Mr Gardezi from the constituency.

Meanwhile, the PPP and National Alliance won two National Assembly seats each followed by one by PML-QA in Bahawalpur district.

PPP’s Aitzaz Ahsan took a lead of about 36,000 votes against his nearest rival Khalid Jajja of PML-N in NA-187 (Bahawalpur V). Aitzaz Ahsan secured 73,646 votes while Jajja’s 37,071. Third candidate, Azhar Mahmood PML-QA, polled 17,912 votes.

The second PPP MNA-elect Amir Yar Warren bagged 67,538 votes against 42,870 obtained by Muhammad Safdar Abbasi (PML-QA) in NA-184 (Bahawalpur two).

In NA-186 (Bahawalpur IV) National Alliance candidate Mian Riaz Hussain Peerzada gave tough time to Syed Tasneem Nawaz Gardezi, who was defeated by a margin of about 4,000 votes. Mr Riaz Hussain Peerzada secured 60,455 against his rival’s 56,728 votes.

From NA-183 (Bahawalpur one), Ali Hassan Gilani (PML-QA) defeated his step-brother Sohail Gilani (independent) with a margin of about 20,000 votes. Ali Hassan Gilani polled 51,393 against Suhail’s 30,476.

Of the Punjab Assembly’s 10 seats from Bahawalpur, PPP won four and the National Alliance two seats. The others — MMA, PML-N, PML-QA and independent — won a seat each.

Meanwhile, four women contesting for national and provincial seats were defeated. They are: Mrs Gul-i-Rana of PML-N (NA-185), Mrs Rozina Jamil of PML-QA (PP-276), Syeda Zubeda Murtaza Naqvi (PP-271) and Qamarun Nisa Asim (PP-272).

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