RAWALPINDI: As many as 208 candidates, including 83 independent, are in the run for 16 National Assembly (NA) seats of Rawalpindi division, including three of Islamabad. Furthermore, 277 candidates including 100 independents, for 27 seats of Punjab Assembly will be contesting in the elections. The federal capital lies under the Rawalpindi division, which comprises Rawalpindi, Chakwal, Attock and Jhelum districts, by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for conducting the general election. There are three NA constituencies in Islamabad, two in Attock, seven in Rawalpindi, two in Chakwal and two in Jhelum. About 75 candidates are contesting general elections from Rawalpindi, 21 from Chakwal, 15 from Attock, 24 from Jhelum and 73 from Islamabad for the National Assembly seats. According to ECP, NA-53 Islamabad has the highest number of independent candidates ie 18. These include Asif Fazal Chaudhry, Amjad Masih, Javed Akhtar, Khawaja Khalilur Rahman, Raja Qadeer Ahmed, Zaibur Rahman, Syed Amjad Ali Shah, Syed Zafar Ali Shah, Shamakh Hassan Khan, Ghazanfar Mehdi, Muhammad Zafar, Makhdoom Muhammad Niaz Inqlabi, Malik Muhammad Yousaf, Mansoor Akash Randhawa, Nasir Munir Ahmed, Nadeemul Zafar Khan and Haroon Arshad Sheikh. Similarly, 14 independent candidates namely Usama, Anwarul Haq, Anwar Khan, Badeeur Rahman, Chan Mahboob Noon, Hamid Shamim, Hafeezur Rahman, Zubair Farooq Khan, Shamsur Rahman, Saima Sheraz, Azeem Khan, Muhammad Munawar and Mewa Khan are contesting from NA-54, Islamabad-III constituency. Former prime ministers Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Raja Parvez Ashraf, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and Hanif Abbasi are contesting from different constituencies of Rawalpindi district. About 166 PA candidates are in the field from Rawalpindi, 35 from Chakwal, 37 from Attock and 39 from Jhelum districts of the division. Five provincial assembly constituencies, PP-1 to PP-5 are in Attock district, 15 constituencies, PP-6 to PP-20 are in Rawalpindi district, four constituencies, PP-21 to PP-24 are in Chakwal district while three Jhelum constituencies are from PP-25 to PP-27. Talking to media, Regional Election Commissioner Majid Sharif Dogar informed that the ECP had been finalising the arrangements for the upcoming general election. Published in Daily Times, July 9th 2018.