Zardari sees thumping victory for PPP in polls

NAUSHAHRO FEROZE: Former president Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday claimed the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) will win the July 25 general elections with a thumping majority.

While addressing a gathering of party office-bearers and workers in Naushahro Feroze district, the PPP co-chairman said the party will fully take part in the coming general elections.

He said that the district is among the PPP strongholds in Sindh province.

Zardari, who also heads the Pakistan Peoples Party – Parliamentarian (PPPP), has filed nomination papers to contest the elections from NA-213 Nawabshah-I (now Shaheed Benazirabad) seat of the National Assembly.

Earlier this week, an application was filed with the respective returning officer seeking to reject his papers.

Ghulam Raza Dharejo and Muhammad Saleem Bhangwar approached RO Muhammad Mehbob Awan, requesting him to reject the papers of the former head of the state.

They contended that the former president had purchased 1500 acres of agricultural land in Sinjhoro tehsil of Sanghar district in 2000, but never paid land rent.

He, therefore, is ineligible to contest the coming general elections, the applicants argued and requested the returning officer to reject his nomination papers.

Zardari is contesting the polls from Nawabshah, while PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is in the run for NA seats from Lyari and Larkana.

The former president’s sister Faryal Talpur is contesting on a provincial assembly seat in Larkana and Dr Azra Fazal Pechuhu is in the run for PS-37 Nawabshah.

Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari, the youngest daughter of Benazir Bhutto, is also expected to contest the polls for a National Assembly seat from Qambar-Shahdadkot.