Up to 101 candidates allotted symbols in Abbottabad

There are a number of others as well who are contesting as independent candidates

By Syed Kosar Naqvi

January 20, 2024

This photo shows a female voter pressing her inked thumb onto a ballot paper at a polling station in Islamabad. — AFP/File

ABBOTTABAD: As many as 101 candidates have been finalized and allotted election symbols for two national and four provincial assembly seats from the Abbottabad district.

The political parties, including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) , Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) , Jamiat Ulma-e- Islam -Fazl (JUIF), Pakistan Awami Tehreek; Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, Hazara Qoumi Mahaz(HQM) and Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf Parliamentarians (PTIP) have awarded party tickets to candidates.

There are a number of others as well who are contesting as independent candidates. Seventeen candidates have been allotted election symbols from NA-16 while 11 candidates from NA 17 have received the symbols.

Similarly, for provincial assembly constituency PK-42 , election symbols have been allotted to 18 candidates. There are 21 candidates from PK 43, 16 from PK 44 and 18 aspirants from PK 45.

Former deputy speaker of National Assembly Murtaza Javed Abbassi has been awarded the ticket of PMLN for NA-16 against Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan who is contesting as an independent candidate.

Ali Asghar Khan, who is the son of late air marshal Asghar Khan, is contesting as an independent candidate after the bat symbol was taken away from the PTI.

Similarly Mohabat Awan of PMLN will face former MNA Ali Khan Jadoon who is vying as an independent candidate for the same reason. The PPP has awarded the ticket to Syed Saleem Shah. PMLN has awarded the ticket for PK-42 to Sardar Fareed Ahmad, the cousin of Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan . He will face former MPA Nazeer Abbassi who is contesting as an independent candidate.

Syed Jafar Shah of PPP and Ahmed Nawaz Khan of Qoumi Watan Party are contesting from PK 42.PK-43 constituency has 21 candidates, including PTI-backed Rajab Ali Khan, Khalid Rehman of PMLN, Sardar Sher Bahadur of PTIP, Asad Javed Khan of HQM and a former senator Javed Abbassi who is contesting as an independent candidate.

Former MPA Aurangzeb Nalotha has again been awarded the ticket by PMLN for PK-44 against 15 others, including Iftikhar Khan Jadoon, who is contesting as independent .Former provincial minister Qalandar Lodhi is not contesting this time after delimitation of constituency.

The PMLN has pitched Arshad Awan from Pk 45 against former speaker of provincial assembly Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani who is contesting as an independent candidate. Saleem Shah of PPP, Amjad Khan of Jamaat-e-Islami, Asad Javed of HQM will contest from the same constituency besides Waseem Khan Jadoon and Sajjad Akber who are independent candidates.