ISLAMABAD (PTI): Acting Pakistan President Wasim Sajjad became the main opposition candidate for next week’s presidential election as four other candidates sponsored by the Pakistan Muslim league (Nawaz) formally withdrew from the race on Nov.7, The withdrawal letters of former speaker Gohar Ayub Khan and former federal ministers Lt Gen (Retd) Majid Malik, Iftikhar Gilani and. Sartaj Aziz, were received Sunday morning, an election commission Press release said. ‘ The PML (N), after a parliamentary party meeting chaired by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif Saturday night had announced the candidature of Sajjad, This leaves only Farooq Laghari of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party, Sajjad (PMLN), Akbar Bugti Jamhoon Watan Party), Air Marshal (Red) Asgar Khan and senator Yahya Bakhtiarin them ice, The PPP leadership is trying to persuade Bugti and Nawabzada Nasraullah Khan to retire from the contest for which foreign minister Leghari, has already launched his campaign, If these two minor PPP: allies eventually withdraw, the Stage would be set for a straight contest DE tween Leghari and Sajjadi, Air Marshal Asgar Khan and Bakhtiar have little or no support in the national assembly, Senate and four provincial assemblies which form the electoral college. Earlier moves to have a consensus Candidate for the election of the president, who, along with the prime minister and the army chief, constitute the ruling Troika in Pakistan, have proved futile. On the ballot paper, however, the names of all the five original PML (N) nominees and even former president Ghulam Ishaq Khan and former caretaker Premier Balakh Sher Mazari are likely to appear as their respective withdrawal letters reached the election commission after the expiry of the deadline on Nov.4.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 12, 1993
