LAHORE: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has announced the list of its candidates for national and provincial assembly seats in north-central region of Punjab. Notable among the party’s contestants are former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf (from NA-58 Gujar Khan-Rawalpindi); former federal ministers Qamar Zaman Kaira (NA-70 Gujrat); and Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat (NA-114 Jhang). Other prominent candidates of the party that has failed to make a mark on Punjab’s electoral map in 2013 are Mohammad Afzal Khokhar (NA-52 Islamabad); and Fakhar Umar Laleka (NA-86 Mandi Bahauddin). PPP Punjab division president Rai Shahjahan Bhatti will contest from NA-118 and Ghulam Fareed Kathia from NA-148. On the remaining two Islamabad seats, PPP has fielded Sibtul Hassan Bukhari (NA-53) and Raja Imran Ashraf (NA-54). In Attock, PPP candidates are Sardar Zulfiqar Hayat (NA-55), and Sardar Saleem Haider (NA-56). In Rawalpindi, Kamran Azlam Chaudhry (NA-59); Mukhtar Abbas (NA-60); Haji Gulzar Awan (NA-61); and Sumera Gull (NA-62). In Chakwal, Jabbar Ahmad Chilla (NA-64); and Malik Hashim Khan Awan (NA-65). Tasneem Nasir Gujjar is the PPP candidate on NA-66 Jhelum-I; and Commander (retd) Fayyaz Ashraf on NA-67 Jhelum-II. There are four PPP candidates in Gujrat. Azhar Iqbal in NA-68; Wazir Un Nisa in NA-69; Qamar Zaman Kaira in NA-70; and Chaudhry Ehsaan in NA-71. In Sialkot, Malik Tahir Iftikhar in NA-72; Zafar Mehmood Malik in NA-73; Nargis Faiz Malik in NA-74; Zaheer ul Hassan Rizvi in NA-75; and Yasir Mushtaq Bajwa in NA-76. In Narowal, Muhammad Nawaz is the candidate in NA-77. The party has five candidates in Gujranwala. Ejaz Ahmad Cheema; Rao Ikram Ali Khan; Muhammad Anas Amjad; Muhammad Ishaq; and Zulfiqar Ali. Asif Bashir Bhagat and Fakhar Umer Hayat Lalika are the party candidates in Mandi Bahauddin. Brigadier (retd) Izhar ul Hassan, Muhammad Aslam Madiana, Tasneem Ahmad Qureshi, and Tariq Mehmood Gujjar are PPP candidates in Sargodha. Agha Naseem Abbas and Safdar Ali are in Khushab; Muhammad Khalid Khan and Muhammad Khalid Awan in Mianwali; Makhdoom Syed Asad Hayat and Inayat Ali Shah in Chiniot; Tariq Bajwa, Rai Muhammad Shah Jahan Khar, Shahdat Khan Baloch, Rana Farooq Saeed Khan, Saeed Iqbal, Malik Sardar Muhammad, Malik Asghar Ali Qaiser, and Haji Muhammad Afzal in Faisalabad; Haji Muhammad Ishaq in Toba Tek Singh; Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat in Jhang; Rai Shah Jahan Ahmad Bhatti in Jhang; Muhammad Javed Bhatti in Sheikhupura; Captain (retd) Rai Ghullam Mujtaba Kharal; Nawab Tariq; and Shahzad Naul in Okara; Mian Shoket Ali Bajwa in Pakpattan; and Mehar Ghulam Farid Khatia and Ali Javaid in Sahiwal. In Lahore, PPP has fielded candidates on 44 seats of national and provincial assemblies. No names have yet been announced for NA-123 and PP-145, 154,162, 163, 164,165, 166, and 169. Samina Khalid Ghurki will face PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif and Asim Bhatti PTI chiarman Imran Khan. PPP Lahore president Azizur Rehman Chann will contest on a provincial assembly seat. PPP sources told Daily Times that the list was finalised by the party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in consultation of PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and other senior party leaders from Punjab. According to the list, PPP has fielded Ch Zaheer in NA-124 against PML-N’s Hamza Shahbaz and PTI’s Nauman Qaisar; Hafiz Zubair Kardar in NA-125 against PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz Sharif and Dr Yasmin Rashid of PTI; Aurangzeb Barki in NA-126 against PTI’s Mian Hamad Azhar and Mehar Ishtiaq Ahmad of Nawaz League; Adnan Gorsi in NA-127 against PTI’s Jamsheed Iqbal Cheema and PML-N’s Pervaiz Malik; Syed Zaffar Ali Shah in NA-128 against PML-N’s Sheikh Rohail Asghar and PTI’s Ejaz Dayal; Iftikhar Shahid in NA-129 against PML-N’s Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and PTI’s Abdul Aleem Khan; Adeel Ghulam Mohauddin in NA-130 against PTI’s Shafqat Mehmood and PML-N’s Khawaja Ahmad Hasan, Asim Mehmood Bhatti in NA-131 against PTI’s Imran Khan and PMLN’s Khawaja Saad Rafique, Samana Khalid Ghurki in NA-132 against PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif and PTI’s Mansha Sindhu; Chaudhry Aslam Gill in NA-133 against PML-N’s Waheed Alam Khan, PTI’s Ejaz Chaudhry and independent Zaeem Qadri; Suhail Awan in NA-134 against PTI’s Zaheer Abbas Khokhar and Rana Mubashar Iqbal of PML-N; Amjad Ali Jutt in NA-135 against PML-N’s Saiful Malook and PTI’s Karamat Ali Khokhar, and Rana Jamil Ahmad in NA-136 against PMLN’s Afzal Khokhar and PTI’s Malik Asad Khokhar. On the provincial seats, PPP has announced: Mehmood Qureshi for PP-144, Shahbaz Bhatti for PP-146, Malik Asghar Ali PP-147, Mirza Idress for PP-148, Haji Nadir Khan for PP-149, Mansha Prince for PP-150, Akram Dogar PP-151, Asif Nagra PP-152, Zahid Zulfiqar for PP-153, Asrarul Haq Butt (younger brother of murdered Babar Butt of Lakhodar) for PP-155, Haji Azizur Rehman Chan for PP-156, Raja Shabbir for PP-157, Arif Zaffar for PP-158, Mian Aslam PP-159, Shakeel Pasha PP-160, Ch Atif Rafique PP-162, Aslam Garra PP-167, Sheikh Maqbool PP-168, Asif Bhutti PP-170, Faiza Malik PP-161, Rubina Sohail PP-173, Munawar Dogar for PP-171 and Akhter Sial for PP-172. Published in Daily Times, June 28th 2018.