Kulsoom Nawaz to contest NA-120 by-election

LAHORE: Former first lady Kulsoom Nawaz will contest by-election in the National Assembly constituency (NA-120) vacated after ouster of her spouse and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif due to a court verdict, ARY News reported.

Pakistan Muslim league-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders – Asif Kirmani and Capt. (retd) Muhammad Safdar – filed Kulsoom’s nominations papers in the election commission on Friday.    

The former prime minister had earlier wished that his younger brother Shahbaz Sharif should take the mantle of power after contesting from NA-120 election to become eligible for the coveted post.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf candidate Dr Yasmin Rashid filed her nomination papers.

Speaking to media on the occasion, Dr Yasmin once again accused Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif of indulging in pre-poll rigging and using government machinery and resources in a bid to garner support for the ruling party’s candidate.

She said that she is a hard-working woman and belongs to a middle class family whereas Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, who is being reported to have been nominated as PML-N’s candidate for NA-120, belongs to the ruling Sharif family.

She said she had been on the streets for last eight days, campaigning vigorously for the election.

According to the ECP, polling for the by-election in NA-120 constituency of Lahore will be held on Sept 17. The candidates are required to submit their nomination papers between August 10-12 while the commission will conduct scrutiny of their nomination papers between August 15-17.

The Supreme Court judgment dated July 28 disqualified Nawaz Sharif from the office of prime minister for not disclosing his un-drawn salary from a UAE firm. Following the judgment, ECP issued an order de-notified Sharif as member of the assembly from Lahore’s NA-120.