Abbasi to run poll campaign in Lahore

Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has moved to Lahore to contest NA-124 by-election as he hopes to clinch the seat without any difficulty and return to parliament to help Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif give the Imran Khan-led government a tough time.Abbasi has also started holding meetings with Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) workers from the constituency of old Lahore, vacated by Hamza Shehbaz.Sources say that Shehbaz Sharif has appointed Hamza as a focal person to facilitate Abbasi in his campaign, directing his son not to be complacent.The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s Nauman Qaisar lost in the July 25 election to Hamza, with a margin of about 70,000 votes.The PTI leadership has not yet finalised a candidate to pitch against Abbasi, after Qaiser declined to contest the by-poll.Abbasi said yesterday that he would launch a full-fledged campaign in NA-124 later this month.He said that he had held meetings with party workers in the constituency, and with their co-operation, he found no problem in reaching the voters.Abbasi believes that even in case of low turnout in the by-election, he will maintain the victory margin.“Although there are clear chances of our victory in NA-124, we will work hard and not take the contest easy,” he said.The former premier is not considering NA-124 a make-shift arrangement for him to send him to the parliament.“I am contesting for this seat on the wish of Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif. I will not leave this constituency after getting elected. I will serve the people of NA-124 for five years, making sure the PTI government does not deprive this constituency of development,” said Abbasi, who was prime minister for 10 months after the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif in the Panama Papers case in July last year.To a question on whether his election campaign would based on Nawaz’s narrative – give respect to the ballot – Abbasi said: “Like that of July 25 elections, the PML-N will stick to the slogan and highlight extensive development the government in Punjab has carried out in the last 10 years.”In the July 25 general election, Abbasi lost two National Assembly polls in his hometown of Murree (NA-57) and in Islamabad’s NA-53, to PTI chairman Imran Khan and Sadaqat Abbasi, respectively.Although Khan has vacated NA-53, the PML-N leadership has avoided fielding the former premier for the same seat, considering it insecure.The NA-124 is the only National Assembly constituency vacated by the PML-N among the eight NA constituencies in Punjab where by-elections are being held on October 14.