Pakistan elections on July 25: Over 11,800 candidates contesting on 849 general seats

ISLAMABAD: As many as 11,855 candidates are in the fray for 849 general seats of Pakistan's national and provincial assemblies in the July 25 elections after the completion of scrutiny process, the election commission has said.

The

Election Commission of Pakistan

(ECP) has issued the final list of candidates, according to which, 3,459 candidates will contest on 272 general seats of the National Assembly, while 8,396 are running for 577 general seats of the four provincial assemblies.

The National Assembly is a democratically elected body consisting of a total of 342 members, of which 272 are directly elected, 60 seats are reserved for women and 10 for religious minorities.

The figures show a significant decrease in the number of candidates compared to the 2013 general elections when a total of 15,629 candidates - 4,671 for National Assembly and 10,958 for provincial assemblies - were in the field, the Dawn reported.

Interestingly, the leadership of major political parties and other political bigwigs are contesting from more than one constituency in the upcoming elections, it said.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz

(PML-N) president

Shahbaz Sharif

will contest from four constituencies of three provinces including NA-132 (Lahore), NA-192 (Dera Ghazi Khan), NA-249 (Karachi) and NA-3 (Swat), the report said.

Cricketer-turned-politican and chief of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan has submitted his nomination from five constituencies - NA-35 (Bannu), NA-53 (Islamabad), NA-95 (Mianwali), NA-131 (Lahore) and NA-243 (Karachi).

Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is contesting on three seats -- one each from Malakand, Lahore and native Larkana. His father, Asif Ali Zardari will contest election from NA-213 (Shaheed Benazirabad).

Maulana Fazlur Rahman, chief of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, is contesting from NA-38 and NA-39 seats from Dera Ismail Khan, the report said.

Former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan will contest NA-59 and NA-63 seats from Rawalpindi. Jamaat-i-Islami chief Sirajul Haq, who is a sitting senator, will contest NA-7 seat (Lower Dir) and NA-23 (Charsadda). The Awami National Party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan is in the run for NA-24 (Charsadda).

Former premier Yusuf Raza Gilani will contest NA-158 (Multan) seat, while his sons Ali Moosa Gilani and Ali Qadir Gilani are in the fray for NA-157 and NA-154 seats. Chief of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party Mehmood Khan Achakzai is contesting on NA-263 seat, the Dawn reported.

This time, a total of 3,459 candidates - 1,623 from Punjab, 824 from Sindh, 725 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 287 from Balochistan - are in the run for the 272 general seats of the National Assembly.

According to the ECP data, for general seats of provincial assemblies shows that a total of 4,036 candidates will fight for 297 general seats of the Punjab Assembly; 2,252 candidates will contest 130 general seats of the Sindh Assembly; 1,165 will compete for 99 KP Assembly seats and 943 will vie for 51 general seats of the Balochistan Assembly.

Top Comment

Manoj Joshi

2344 days ago

Democracy is a process of evolution that requires a certain time and period for gestation and this is the universal truth of this political system of governance. This is no doubt as stated by Abraham Lincoln ''the government of the people by the people and for the people'' that takes time to reach the desired levels of maturity. In the context of Pakistan that is a non-secular Islamic state democracy has evolved with certain deviations making it different from the democracy that exists in the secular nations of the world. This has a lot to do with the society that in the case of Pakistan is primarily one with a muslim majority and to add to it the state has an official religion i.e. Islam making it more favourable for the majority of their population. It is within these parameters that democracy has been functioning in Pakistan and has performed satisfactorily to a certain extent since 2008. Although the system of democratic in the state rests on the pillars of feudal landlordism and an equally strong bourgeoisie wherein there remains a substantial economic gap between the haves and the have nots does result in influencing democratic functioning making it skewed. The political parties in Pakistan whether Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), Pakistan People''s Party or for that matter Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf who are the major players at present and trying by all means to ensure their victory in the soon to follow general elections to their National Assembly besides the Awami National Party that has a substantial influence in North West Frontier Province. The Mohajirs in Pakistan will be the influential group of voters who can perhaps change the tide of the elections in the state and cannot and should not be ignored by the political parties should they want an absolute majority in the National Assembly. The Communist Party in Pakistan unfortunately does not enjoy any significant presence hence despite their ideological thought being most progressive they do not seem to have any major influence in their polity. The deviations in the democratic system need to be gradually rectified for which there is need to change though gradually the social matrix that has a strong religious base and acceptance of a pure secular thought may not be easy to accept, swallow and digest for the society. However the political parties are political groups and cannot be negated as elite clubs and perceived by many and their leaders are fairly responsible with a vision that however needs to be made wider. The last ten years of civilian governance are no doubt a feather in the cap for Pakistan as far as their democratic evolution is concerned and the next five years; should the elected government too complete their full term; shall stabalise democracy in the state wherein there is a chance of success provided the non-secular nature of the Pakistani state is modified to a state that is quasi-secular if not ideally secular. This is the process of democracy.

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