ISLAMABAD Nearly 18,000 candidates are expected to compete for general seats in the national and local legislatures on February 8, as voters around the nation prepare to cast ballots. This information was revealed by The News on Monday.
The final list of candidates running for the NA and provincial assembly was made available on Form-33 by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Sunday.
At least 11,785 of these 17,816 candidates will run unaffiliated, while 6,031 will run under the auspices of their respective political parties.
Although the electoral administration has already released a code of conduct for the running candidates and political parties, it remains to be seen how strictly it is followed, given the rivalry between the parties is becoming more and more intense every day.
Several well-known politicians, like as Asfandyar Wali, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, and former prime minister Imran Khan, are not running for office for various reasons. On the other hand, nasty and difficult contests are expected in a number of constituencies.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has fielded its candidates as independents, and each of them has been given a distinct election symbol. The party was denied the right to choose an emblem after its intra-party elections were determined to be in violation of both its own constitution and pertinent laws.
Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has entered the race from NA-15, Mansehra, and NA-130, Lahore. He will be facing Dr. Yasmeen Rashid, the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). There is expected to be a fierce competition between the two.
Shehbaz Sharif, the brother of Nawaz and a former prime minister, is running from NA-123 in Kasur and NA-132 in Lahore. He takes on Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) veteran Liaquat Baloch from the province capital.
Asif Ali Zardari, a former president and co-chair of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), will run for NA-207 from his home constituency of Shaheed Benazirabad. As an independent, he runs against Sher Muhammad Rind Baloch, who is supported by the PTI.
His son, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, is a candidate in three NA constituencies: one from Punjab’s NA-127, where he will run against Attaullah Tarar of the PML-N, and two from Sindh.
He will be up against PTI-backed Maulana Rashid Mahmood Soomro of Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and incumbent Senators Saifullah Abro and Habibullah in his home constituencies of Larkana, NA-194, and Qambar Shahdadkot, NA-196.
In NA-118, former chief minister Hamza Shehbaz of the PML-N will run against Aliya Hamza, an independent supported by the PTI. Maryam Nawaz is running from NA-119, where she will go up against PTI-backed independent Shahzad Farooq.
Similarly, former prime minister Senator Yusuf Raza Gilani will run against independent Barrister Taimur Malik of the PTI and Ahmad Hussain of the PML-N for a seat in the National Assembly from Multan’s NA-148.
Ali Moosa Gilani, the son of Gilani, will compete in NA-151 Multan against Mehr Bano Qureshi, the daughter of prominent PTI figure and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. Meanwhile, the top patron of the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), Jahangir Tarin, will fight PTI’s Amir Dogar in NA-149 Multan.
Khawaja Saad Rafiq of the PML-N is expected to face off against PTI senior lawyer Latif Khosa in NA-122 Lahore, and Salman Akram Raja of the PTI against Muhammad Aun Saqlain of the IPP in NA-128 Lahore.
Other senior PML-N members who are expected to encounter opposition mostly come from independent candidates put out by the PTI or PPP include Rana Sanaullah, Ahsan Iqbal, Ayaz Sadiq, Khurram Dastagir, and Abid Sher Ali.
Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, the former chairman of the PTI, should have an easy transition from NA-10, Buner. Major Tahir Sadiq, supported by the PTI, is running from NA-49, Attock, against PML-N ex-minister Sheikh Aftab Ahmad, while his daughter Eman Tahir is running from NA-50, Attock.
As independent candidates, others running in the election include former NA speaker Asad Qaiser from NA-19, Swabi, and Ali Amin Gandapur from NA-44, who could face opposition from JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
Notable politicians and former ministers, such as Faisal Saleh Hayat and Mian Ghazanfar Gul, have switched sides and are running from other constituencies.
Locally, a former federal minister and an Awami Muslim League sheikh are engaged in competitive elections in Rawalpindi.
Dr. Farooq Sattar of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) will compete against Khurram Sher Zaman of the PTI in NA-241 Karachi, while Mustafa Kamal of the MQM will compete against Khan Mandokhel of the PPP and Dawa Khan of the PTI in NA-242 Karachi.
Other parties that have put up candidates from various NA and provincial assembly constituencies are the Awami National Party, the PTI, and the Balochistan National Party-Mengal.
