Imran’s dilemma: Who gets NA 140?

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PTI Chairman Imran Khan failed to settle the dispute between two ex-foreign ministers in his party, both of whom want to contest elections from the same constituency.
Khurseed Mehmood Kasuri hosted a big public gathering on 19 June, 2011 where he announced joining PTI. Six months later, Sardar Assef Ahmed Ali also made a phone call to the PTI chief on the eve of the Karachi procession and expressed his willingness to join his party. Both leaders had contested elections from NA 140 against each other.
However, both ex-foreign ministers are now in the same political party and have the same constituency, NA 140, from which they want to contest elections. Both leaders have solid reasons to contest elections from the said constituency and neither of them is willing to contest from the constituency NA 139. In a survey, supporters of Sardar Assef Ahmed and Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri expressed their stance on why their candidates should contest from NA 140. One Saleemullah Saqib said Sardar Assef Ahmed had resigned from his seat as MNA which is why PTI should award him the ticket from the disputed constituency. On the other hand, political analyst Amjad Ali said Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri joined the party before Assef and so, PTI must award the ticket from the constituency to Kasuri. A political observer Hafiz Ahmed said the NA 140 election would be very tough for both candidates because they will have to defeat PML-N MNA Malik Rasheed Ahmed Khan and Dr Azeemudin Lakhwi, which would not be an easy task.
Both leaders, Kasuri and Assef, supported different candidates in by-polls despite being members of the same party. Sardar Assef supported Sardar Sarwar Dogar while Khursheed Kasuri supported Dr Azeemudin Lakhwi in the NA 140 by-elections. Due to these differences, Malik Rasheed Ahmed khan won the slot of MNA in 2012.
A political observer Hafiz Ahmed said there was already tough competition in NA 139 among candidates like PPP’s Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed, PML-N’s Sheikh Waseem Akhter, Naveed Hasham Rizvi and independent candidate Syeda Neelofer. He believed this was a major reason neither of the ex-foreign ministers wanted to risk contesting elections from that constituency.
Meanwhile Fouzia Kasuri, a senior PTI leader, said the existing dispute between the ex-foreign ministers to contest from NA 140 would be decided in a public meeting which would be addressed by PTI chief Imran Khan in which he would announce who would contest elections from the said constituency.

11 COMMENTS

  1. NA 140 and party election of pti has approved for kasuri support and issue of ticket is solved by this election

  2. NA 140 Ch. Amjad Iqbal Khan(Azaad Candidate) lose the Election but on 3rd Position with 19553 votes,

    Malik Rasheed Ahmad (PMLN) Won the election NA140
    Dr. Azeem ud din Zahid Lakhvi (PMLQ) 2nd Position.
    Ch. Amjad Iqbal Khan(Azaad Candidate) on 3rd Position with 19553

    by
    Wajid Khan
    [email protected]
    0321-6582875

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