The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) are likely to face tough competition in NA-149 Multan-2 in the forthcoming by-election which was vacated after the resignation of PTI President Javed Hashmi.
According to well placed sources active at the local level in the constituency of NA-149, Dr Khalid Khakwani and former Punjab Minister Mian Saeed Ahmed Qureshi are being considered as potential candidates for PTI ticket, however some sources maintain that Zain Qureshi, son of Shah Mehmood Qureshi, is also a strong contender as a PTI candidate.
Sheikh Tariq Rasheed is a strong candidate to contest election on the PML-N ticket though the party's national leadership has hinted that they may decide to throw their weight behind Javed Hashmi who is to contest the by-election as an independent candidate. However, it was stated that the local PML-N leadership has already cautioned the party national leadership that they would not support Hashmi and would support Rasheed. The sources said that the Pakistan People's Party is considering Malik Amir Dogar as candidate for NA-149, Multan. Malik Amir Dogar is PPP Secretary General of South Punjab and his father Salahuddin Dogar is a former senator. In May 2013 general election, PML-N's candidate Tahir Rasheed had bagged around 74,000 votes against Javed Hashmi's over 83,000. PPP's Malik Amir Dogar had managed to get over 21,000 votes.