208 candidates in run for 16 NA seats of Rawalpindi Division

• Two ex-PMs, four former federal ministers including Ch Nisar Ali are also contesting from this division

RAWALPINDI: As many as 208 candidates, including 83 independents, are in the run for 16 National Assembly (NA) seats of the Rawalpindi Division, including three of Islamabad, and 100 independents among 277 candidates for 27 seats of the Provincial Assembly (PA) of Punjab.

The federal capital is included with the Rawalpindi Division, which comprises Rawalpindi, Chakwal, Attock, and Jhelum districts, by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for holding of the general election. There are three constituencies (NA-52 to NA-54) in Islamabad, two (NA-55 to NA-56) in Attock, seven (NA-57 to NA-63) in Rawalpindi, two (NA-66 to NA-67) 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 officials, the highest number of independent candidates (18) are in the field for NA-53, Islamabad-II, including a Christian politician Amjad Masih.

Similarly, 14 independent candidates are contesting from the NA-54, Islamabad-III constituency. Former prime ministers Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, former interior minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and Hanif Abbasi are contesting from different constituencies of the 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 the Rawalpindi district, four constituencies (PP-21 to PP-24) are in Chakwal district while three Jhelum constituencies are from PP-25 to PP-27.

Regional Election Commissioner Majid Sharif Dogar said that the Election Commission had been finalising the arrangements for the upcoming general election. “Election staff are being imparted training to handle all activities of the important day,” he added.