<\/p>\n
LAHORE: As heavyweights from across the political spectrum continued to collect and submit their nomination papers in Punjab, a possibility of a number of interesting electoral contests emerged on Friday.<\/p>\n
Chief among those who obtained nomination papers were PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and PTI founder Imran Khan.<\/p>\n
Mr Sharif\u2019s nomination papers were collected by former PML-N MNA Bilal Yasin in the NA-130 constituency, who is also a covering candidate for the same seat<\/p>\n
His brother, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, has got papers for NA-123 and Punjab Assembly seats PP-158 and PP-164 from Lahore. His papers have also been filed for NA-132, Kasur.<\/p>\n
PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari papers were filed for NA-128 in Lahore, where PML-N\u2019s Khawaja Ahmed Hassaan and Jamaat-i-Islami\u2019s Liaqat Baloch are among the other candidates.<\/p>\n
\nBilawal files papers for Lahore\u2019s NA-128, will face N\u2019s Khawaja Ahmed, Liaqat Baloch<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Even though his eligibility to contest elections is still up in the air, PTI founder Imran Khan\u2019s nomination papers were also filed for NA-89 in Mianwali.<\/p>\n
Javed Iqbal, the father of PTI\u2019s incarcerated social media activist Sanam Javed, also announced his daughter will be contesting the elections against Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz, who will be a candidate from PP-150 in Lahore.<\/p>\n
Mr Iqbal also collected papers for NA-123, PP-150, 158 and 164 on behalf of his daughter.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) central information secretary Khurram Hameed Rokhari submitted his nominations for NA-89, where he will be up against Imran Khan, while PPP\u2019s Nawab Amir Muhammad Khan and PML-N\u2019s Ubaidullah Shadi Khel are also in the run for the same seat.<\/p>\n
At the same time, IPP President Abdul Aleem Khan is looking to contest the elections from NA-147 Khanewal, and he is also likely to run for a National Assembly constituency in Lahore.<\/p>\n
National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf has filed his nominations for NA-52 and his son Khurram Pervaiz for PP-8 from Gujar Khan.<\/p>\n
Former chief minister and PTI president Parvez Elahi will be a candidate for NA-69, Mandi Bahauddin, and former defence minister Khawaja Asif from NA-71, Sialkot.<\/p>\n
The latter has also submitted his nominations for two Punjab Assembly seats \u2014 PP-46 and 47.<\/p>\n
In Jhang, former interior minister Faisal Saleh Hayat, former federal minister Sahibzada Mehboob Sultan and Ghulam Bibi Bharwana have all filed papers from NA-108. Bharwana, Sultan and Maulana Muhammad Ahmed Ludhianvi will be the candidates in NA-109 and Sahibzada Amir Sultan among seven other hopefuls will run for NA-110.<\/p>\n
PPP\u2019s Nadeem Afzal Chan has collected papers for two National Assembly seats from Sargodha \u2014 NA-82 and 86. PML-N\u2019s Ataullah Tarar is hoping to contest for NA-77, Gujranwala.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will not be contesting the elections from any platform, Dawn<\/em> learned from sources close to the PML-N stalwart who has grown distant from the party in recent days.<\/p>\n
Sources said that due to pressure from constituents, his son Nader will now be filing papers from the NA-51 constituency in Murree as an independent candidate<\/p>\n
Atika Rehman in London also contributed to this report<\/em><\/p>\n
Published in Dawn, December 23rd, 2023<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LAHORE: As heavyweights from across the political spectrum continued to collect and submit their nomination papers in Punjab, a possibility of a number of interesting electoral contests emerged on Friday. Chief among those who obtained nomination papers were PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and PTI founder Imran Khan. Mr Sharif\u2019s nomination papers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":39049,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.dawn.com\/large\/2023\/12\/230735500a5dff9.png?r=073707","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[192],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39048","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-islamabad-news"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t