New Islamabad mayor to be elected today.

ISLAMABAD -- Election on the vacant seat of Islamabad's mayor will be held today (Monday) with both the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) vying for the slot.

In the 73-member electoral college, the PML-N has 47 votes against 25 of the PTI. The PML-N has fielded Pir Adil Gillani, who is chairman of Bari Imam Union Council while PTI has awarded ticket to Malik Sajid Mahmood, the chairman of G-10 Union Council. Independent candidate Azhar Mahmood is also contesting the election.

According to District Election Commissioner Naeem Ahmed, polling will be held on the premises of the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) in G-6 from 9am to 5pm. He said all arrangements had been completed for the election. The mayor's seat fell vacant in October after the surprise resignation of PML-N's Sheikh Anser Aziz. The upcoming mayor will be elected for the next two months.

However, sources in the PML-N said the victory of their candidate would be helpful to mobilise the public for the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)'s anti-government rally to the capital city in February.

'The timing of the mayor's election is very important. If our candidate is elected mayor, it will be helpful for our party workers to host PDM,' Deputy Mayor Syed Zeeshan Naqvi told Dawn.

PML-N's Pir Adil Gillani, Malik Sajid Mahmood of PTI vying for post. Tenure to last for two months

The PML-N candidate Pir Adil Gillani, 33, who is also custodian of the shrine of Pir Imam Ali Gillani at Ratta Hotar near Bari Imam, told Dawn that he was confident that he would comfortably win the election. He said after being elected, he would try to resolve issues of the residents of the capital.

'The PTI has failed to deliver, so I will motivate the people of Islamabad to join the PDM protest rally,' he said.

All the three deputy mayors, who also belong to the PML-N, were eyeing the seat of the mayor. However, the Election Commission of Pakistan ruled that the deputy mayors could not contest the mayor's election. This created an opportunity for Pir Gillani, who was awarded the party ticket by former MNAs from Islamabad Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Anjum Aqeel Khan.

Sources said the new mayor could hardly retain the office for two months. The mayor's five-year term will...