LAHORE: With Pakistan’s eagerly anticipated elections looming tomorrow, Lahore braces for a fierce battle across its 14 National Assembly (NA) seats.
In what promises to be a high-stakes contest, prominent figures are vying for victory in the city’s key constituencies, marking the culmination of months of intense campaigning.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is set to go head-to-head with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Attaullah Tarar on NA-127. Bilawal aims to follow in the footsteps of his maternal grandfather, the revered Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, by clinching victory in Lahore.
Meanwhile, on NA-130, former three-time Prime Minister and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif will confront Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed candidate Dr. Yasmin Rashid, who is currently detained in jail in connection with the May 9 riots cases.
NA-123 is poised for an intense showdown, with PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Liaquat Baloch, and Afzal Azeem locking horns in a closely contested battle.
Elsewhere, Maryam Nawaz will challenge independent candidate Shehzad Farooq in NA-119, while Saad Rafique faces off against PTI-backed candidate Sardar Latif Khosa in the NA-122 seat.
Abdul Aleem Khan of the Istekham-e-Pakistan Party will vie against Ali Aijaz on the NA-117 seat, with Hamza Shahbaz contesting against PTI-backed candidate Aliya Hamza on NA-118.
Over on NA-120, PML-N’s Sardar Ayaz Sadiq will contest against Usman Hamza, while IPP’s Awn Chaudhry squares off against Salman Akram Raja on the NA-128 seat.
