By-polls underway in NA 69, PK-50

KHUSHAB: The polling for by-elections started in Punjab’s NA-69 Khushab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s PK- 50 Haripur constituencies for a National Assembly seat on Thursday, Geo News reported.

A total of 337,645 registered voters will use their polling rights in NA-69 Khushab constituency to elect their representative. 298 polling stations along with 654 polling booths have been set up in the area while strict security arrangements have been made in both the constituencies for the by-elections.

The seat fell vacant after the Supreme Court disqualified Sumera Malik on having a forged degree after Umer Aslam Awan filed a petition against her post 2013 election.

Now a neck-and-neck competition is expected between Sumera Malik’s son Malik Aziz Khan of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Malik Umer Aslam Awan.

Moreover, voting also started for by-elections in the PK-50, Haripur II constituency where 153,376 registered voters will vote in today’s by-polls. A total of 116 polling stations have been set up in the constituency.

The seat fell vacant after PTI’s elected MPA from this constituency Yousaf Ayub Khan was disqualified by the Supreme Court over a fake graduation degree.

The prominent contestants of the by-polls include PTI’s Akbar Ayub Khan, PML-N’s Qazi Asad, PPP’s Haji Tahir Qureshi and independent candidate Babar Nawaz Khan.

The polling will continue till 5:00 pm.