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PTI’s Abrar ul Haq to be fielded from Lahore’s NA-117 constituency

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  • Haq says he’s likely to contest from NA-117.
  • PTI has never won from this constituency.
  • He has begun campaigning for polls alongside provincial ticket-holders.

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf’s (PTI) leader and renowned singer Abrar ul Haq will be fielded by the party in Lahore’s Shahdara area, while his brother Major (retd) Israr ul Haq will be put up against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Ahsan Iqbal in Narowal.

The singer-cum-politician has already begun his election campaign and is addressing rallies along with two ticket-holders for the provincial assembly under NA-117, Lahore 1.

This seat, ever since PTIcontested elections here in 1997, has never been won by the party’s fielded candidates. The constituency has always been claimed by PML-N or its allies, except for the years 1970 and 1977 when Pakistan Peoples Party’s SM Masood and Sher Muhammad Bhatti won.

The constituency covers areas including the entire Shahdara and the population living close to the Ravi bed and the entire Badami Bagh, Siddiqia Colony, etc.

The party, led by Chairman Imran Khan, has decided to field Haq from this seat and with the consent of the party’s high command, he has also kick-started his campaign here. 

Even if the elections for the NA and provinces are held after three to four months, a good fight is expected this time between the PML-N and PTI.

When contacted, Haq told The News that he was likely to contest from NA-117, Lahore; whereas his brother might get fielded from Narowal. In 2013 and 2018, Haq had contested two NA polls from Narowal but both times, PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal bagged victory.

Electoral history of NA-117

In 1985, in the non-party basis elections, Pir Muhammad Ashraf won from here while defeating Khawaja Tariq Rahim. In 1988, Pakistan Awami Ittehad’s (PAI) General (retd) MH Ansari won this seat against PPP’s Sheikh Rafique. Islami Jamhuri Ittehad (IJI) or its main component Muslim League had not fielded any candidate which benefitted General Ansari. In 1990’s general elections, it was IJI’s Humayun Akhtar Khan who won from here with a significant lead against PPP’s Sheikh Rafique.

In the 1993 elections, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif contested from this constituency and won comfortably against PPP’s Haji Aziz ur Rehman Chan. In the 1993 by-polls, it was Nawaz’s brother Abbas Sharif who won after a close fight with a PPP candidate.

In 1997, PML-N fielded Mian Azhar on this seat which he won with a big margin against Pakistan Muslim League-Junejo’s (PML-J) Mian Ahmed Mehmood. Between 1988 to 1997, this constituency was NA-92.

In the 2002 elections, Hafiz Salman Butt, a candidate of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) backed by PML-N won defeating the then Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s (PML-Q) head Mian Azhar.

Butt contested the polls as an independent candidate as Muttahida Majlis–e–Amal (MMA) had also fielded its candidate Hafiz Abdul Wadood Shahid.

The constituency by then had become NA-118.

In the 2008 elections, former PML-N MPA Malik Riaz was fielded from this area and won by a big margin. In the 2013 and 2018 polls, PML-N’s Riaz once again claimed victory, but PTI candidates were in the second spot.

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PTI presents seven nominations to Imran Khan for the judicial commission.

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Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has proposed seven individuals to its founder, Imran Khan, for consideration as founding members of PTI for membership in the next Judicial Commission.

None of the nominated individuals are attorneys; rather, the roster includes four Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) and three senators.

The proposed MNAs are Umar Ayub, Asad Qaiser, Ali Mohammad Khan, and Aamir Dogar, while the senators are Shibli Faraz, Mohsen Aziz, and Aun Abbas Bapi. Sources suggest that the Judicial Commission will include one opposition member from both the National Assembly and the Senate.

The PTI founder will evaluate and endorse two names from the suggested list, which will then be sent to the Speaker for future actions.

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Miller confirmed that Biden’s administration got a letter from a congressman requesting the release of the PTI founder.

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Following his removal as prime minister in 2022, Khan started a protest movement against a coalition of his enemies led by current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Since then, he has been in jail since August 2023 and has been involved in hundreds of cases.

In response to ARY News’ question over the congressmen’s letter during a media briefing in Washington on Monday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, “We will respond in due course to the members.”

The United States wants to see Pakistan maintain its democracy, Miller stated.

The release of the PTI founder’s wife and sisters was a result of a meeting between the US Deputy Assistant Secretary and a Pakistani government representative in Islamabad, which was further questioned during the press briefing.

“I won’t be addressing that,” Miller said when asked if the United States was involved in their release. Miller did, however, affirm that the conference included the defense of Pakistan’s basic liberties and rights.

Sixty-two members of the US Congress urged President Joe Biden on October 24 to support the release of Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, and other political prisoners.

The congressmen, who included well-known Muslim members Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, said in their letter that the Biden administration should ask Pakistani authorities to guarantee the safety of PTI founder Imran Khan.

They also underlined that US policy should concentrate on Pakistan’s human rights situation and asked that US ambassadors attend the PTI leader’s incarceration.

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A bill pertaining to the number of Supreme Court justices will soon be presented.

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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), recently met, and the inside story of their conversation has revealed important political developments.

The leaders talked about a variety of constitutional and governance matters, including the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment, according to sources.

One of the primary outcomes of the conference was the decision to expeditiously introduce a bill in parliament that would increase the number of judges on the Supreme Court. Immediately after it is introduced in parliament, this law is expected to be approved in a matter of days.

In addition, the recently ratified 26th Constitutional Amendment was discussed, with particular attention paid to creating a system for the establishment of constitutional benches at the federal and provincial levels. The formation of constitutional benches would be the subject of formal meetings, they agreed.

Furthermore, the leaders examined the pending measure concerning the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) municipal authority, which has been sent to the appropriate committee for additional assessment.

They also discussed the implementation of an agreement on Punjabi issues between the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). According to sources, the conference also discussed the status of an agreement over fund release and administrative jobs in Punjab.

Bilawal Bhutto was reassured by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that the federal government would continue to support continued development initiatives in Sindh.

PM Sharif and Bilawal met on Sunday at the premier’s Model Town home in Lahore, where they talked about the newly ratified 26th Constitutional Amendment and pledged to support Pakistan’s parliamentary system and democracy.

As a historic step, Bilawal Bhutto celebrated the 26th Constitutional Amendment’s adoption during the meeting. He said: “We will work together to strengthen democracy and parliament.”

In agreement, Shehbaz credited the amendment’s accomplishment to the combined efforts of all coalition members. He promised that his commitment to the people would not falter and reiterated his commitment to public service.

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