LAHORE: The Pakistan People’s Party has finalised candidates for six National Assembly seats in Lahore. In a meeting chaired by PPP Punjab (Central) President Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo, in Islamabad, decisions were taken on seats of Lahore including NA-118, NA-121, NA-124, NA-125, NA-129 and NA-130.
For NA-118, PPP has once again decided to pitch Syed Asif Hashmi, who is serving as chairman of Evacuee Trust Property Board. Asif Hashmi is one of the senior party members and has been associated with the party since the Bhutto era. He started his political career in the 1970s and has also contested on a PPP ticket from NA-118 in 2008 elections. He was also awarded a civil award by President Asif Zardari for his services as ETPB chairman. He also enjoys close affiliation with senior party leadership including former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani. Though Hashmi didn’t attend the meeting of the parliamentary board, yet sources said being the sole applicant from NA-118, he was declared as the party candidate.
From NA-121, PPP has decided to field Aurangzeb Burki. Burki has also been a PPP loyalist for past many years and has also been the party ticket holder from the same constituency in the 2002 and 2008 elections. He also served as the PPP Punjab finance secretary.
From NA-124, Bushra Aitzaz, wife of Senator Aitzaz Ahsan, has been given the nod by the party high command. NA-124 has been a comparatively stronger seat for the PPP in Lahore. This seat was carved out by bifurcating previous NA-93 and NA-94. From NA-93, Aitzaz Ahsan won for two consecutive terms in 1988 and 1990 and lost the 1993 election to Humayun Akhtar after a very tough fight. He also won from NA-124 but didn’t contest the 2008 elections due to his involvement in the lawyers movement for the restoration of deposed judges. His wife Bushra Aitzaz will contest from NA-124 and she may face Sheikh Rohail Asghar of the PML-N.
From NA-125, sources said Naveed Chaudhry has been given a go ahead by the party leadership. Naveed has served as PPP Punjab secretary information for six years until he was replaced by Farzana Raja. He contested 1997, 2002 and 2008 elections. In 1997, he contested on the PPP-Shaheed Bhutto ticket, but later returned to the party. He got PPP ticket for the first time in 2002 against Humayun Akhtar of the PML-Q and Akram Zaki of the PML-N.
Naveed Chaudhry lost the 2002 election after a very tough contest. In 2008, he was fielded again but lost to PML-N’s Khwaja Saad Rafique. He was also appointed coordinator to the president in Punjab.
The PPP has decided over NA-129 and NA-130 seats, the two seats from where PPP emerged victorious in 2008 elections and it is once again coming up with same candidates. Tariq Shabbir Mayo, the PPP winner from NA-129 last time, will contest again and Samina Khalid Ghurki, also PPP Lahore president, will contest from NA-130.
Samina has been the winner of NA-130 in 2002 and 2008 elections. Her husband the later Khalid Javed Ghurki served as an MNA in 1993 and later Nazim Wagha Town in 2005.
