LAHORE: PML-N President Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday awarded NA-129 (Lahore) and PP-87 (Mianwali) by-poll tickets to Hafiz Mian Nauman and Ali Haider Noor Khan Niazi, respectively.

The NA-129 fell vacant after the death of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) MNA and former Punjab governor Mian Azhar.

Mian Azhar had defeated PML-N’s Mian Nauman with a margin of over 30,000 votes in the 2024 elections. Mian Azhar’s son Hammad Azhar is likely to be PTI’s candidate. The PTI’s 12 lawmakers were disqualified in Punjab by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) following their conviction in the May 9 (2023) cases.

The disqualified lawmakers hailed from eight National Assembly and four Punjab Assembly constituencies. The ECP has so far issued the election time frame for NA-66 (Wazirabad), NA-129 and PP-87 with voting scheduled for Sept 18. Last week, Nawaz Sharif awarded NA-66 by-poll ticket to Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar’s brother Bilal Farooq Tarar, ignoring the party candidate who had secured over 100,000 votes in the constituency in the last election.

“The elder Sharif obliged Tarar’s brother because Mr Cheema claimed in a party gathering that he had also got an offer to secure victory through Form-47 but he declined. This was leaked to the party leadership which got annoyed,” a party insider said.

The NA-66 and PP-87 seats fell vacant after disqualification of PTI MNA Ahmed Chattha, son of veteran politician Hamid Nasir Chattha, and Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Ahmed Khan Bhachar, respectively. Bhachar’s wife has filed nomination papers for PP-87.

The PTI is still giving it a second thought to contest the by-poll.

“Though PTI patron-in-chief Imran Khan has barred the party from contesting the by-poll, some leaders are of the view that the PML-N government should not be given an open field to grab these seats,” a PTI leader told Dawn.

He said Mr Khan would be conveyed the sentiment within the party and it was likely that he might change his mind.

Earlier, Mr Khan had said the PTI would not field candidates to show solidarity with disqualified members who stood firm with the party despite extreme challenges.

“The party will completely boycott the vote,” Imran Khan had said in a recent statement on X.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2025