LAHORE/Islamabad - PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif yesterday announced final names of the party candidates for most of the Punjab seats.

Of the total 142 National Assembly seats for Punjab, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has fielded candidates on 115 seats and has left out 27 constituencies.

It has also announced the names of final candidates for most the Punjab assembly seats falling under these 115 NA seats.

Party spokesperson Marriyum Auregzeb said the announcement of candidates for the left out slots will be made in a couple of days.

With a few exceptions, all the federal and the provincial ministers have been put in contest from the same constituencies from where they were elected to parliament last time.

In an interesting development, the PML-N has not fielded any candidates in Rawalpindi constituencies of NA-59 and NA-63 where party’s disgruntled leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan is going to contest as an independent. Sources say this came after Shehbaz contacted Nisar and reconciled him.

Similarly, on Multan constituency of Javed Hashmi the party has also not fielded any candidate, keeping one guessing if PML-N wants to give him a go ahead.

The rest of the left out National Assembly seats are: NA-64, 65 (Rawalpindi), NA-90, 92, 93 and 94 (Sargodha), NA-98 (Chiniot), NA-101 and 109 (Faisalabad), NA-114 (Jhang), NA-145 (Okara), NA-154 (Multan), NA-161, 162 (Lodhran), NA-166, 168 and 169 (Bahawalpur), NA-175, 176, 177 and 178 (Rahim Yar Khan), NA-183 (Muzaffargarh) and NA-196 (Rajanpur).

An interesting contest is expected in NA-57 (Murree) from where former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is contesting the elections. Abbasi would also be contesting from NA-53, a newly carved out constituency in the federal capital.

The Murree seat was considered to be his home as he had won past several elections from the area and earlier his father Khaqan Abbasi had won from this constituency.

In NA 58 (Gujar Khan) Raja Javid Ikhlas would be the PML-N candidate. In last general elections he had defeated former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf from this constituency with big margin. Most probably PPP would again field Raja from this constituency.

PML-N Hanif Abbasi would be contesting from NA-60 (Rawalpindi) against Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, who has the backing of the PTI.

On another Rawalpindi seat (NA-62) PML-N candidate Danial Chaudhry, a scion of Ch Tanvir Khan, would again be contesting against Rashid - who had won seat from this constituency.

In NA-60 (Rawalpindi Cantonment seat) PML-N’s Malik Ibrar would be contesting. He won this seat with thin margin against PTI candidate Hina Manzoor in the last election but this time he would be facing PTI candidate Amir Kayani.

Nisar ‘reconciled’

In a clear sign of rapprochement, the PML-N has not fielded candidates in all the four constituencies where former Interior Minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan has announced to contest as an independent candidate.

Nisar, who had been at odds with PML-N Quid Nawaz Sharif over what the former calls policy matters, was denied party ticket for the upcoming general elections. He later filed his nominations for two national assembly (NA-59, NA 63) and two Punjab Assembly constituencies (PP-10, PP-12).

Sources informed The Nation that in last two days things have changed dramatically and Shehbaz Sharif had played a key role in diluting the situation in favour of Nisar. It is he who managed to stop the announcement of the party tickets for the seats Nisar is contesting for, they added.

Previously, the PML-N had given a green single to other party leaders from all these areas start their election campaigns and their banners and board-hoarding were already displayed in abundance in these constituencies.

To further appease Chaudhry from Chakri Rajgan, the party has also awarded a provincial assembly ticket from Attock (PP-3) to his brother-in-law and former MPA Malik Asif.

Sources say the decision of not fielding candidates against Nisar is final, and no names will appear in the list when the party announces its candidates for the left out seats. They however did not rule out withdrawal of papers by Nisar for one or two seats in order to facilitate the PML-N candidates.

The sources said that former federal minister was in touch with PML-N president and it was on the persuasion of Shehbaz that Nisar softened his position against the party Quaid Nawaz Sharif.

Nisar on Friday told the media that his previous comments about Nawaz were misreported. His denial of bashing Nawaz was another sign that ice has melt between the ex-minister and PML-N top leadership.

In his public address in his constituency Saturday evening, Nisar did not comment on the PML-N move to withdrawing provisional candidates who were to be fielded against him. And, his tone against the party leadership was far from the hard line position he had been taken earlier.

Earlier, Senator Pervaiz Rasheed – who is considered to be very close to Nawaz Sharif – had said that only those candidates would be awarded tickets who had applied for it.

Asked whether party would be awarding ticket to Ch Nisar, he remarked that how tickets could be awarded to those who had not applied for it.

He had said that Engineer Qamarul Islam would be awarded ticket for NA-59 and Sardar Mumtaz for NA-63 – the national assembly constituencies where Nisar is contesting elections.

Islam was given a green signal much earlier by the lobby working against Nisar in the party and he started campaigning in the area for both national and provincial assemblies’ seats much earlier - even before the process for issuance of party tickets had started.

Only time can tell what Islam would do now. He may seek some other favour from the party and settle on it, or he may take a radical decision like that of Lahore’s Zaeem Qadri and challenge PML-N-backed candidate by announcing to contest independently.