Former members of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) who joined Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) may have a serious effect on the Unification Bloc as PML-N decided to accommodate former members of PML-Q under pressure from local leaders.
PML-N spokesman Azim Tariq told journalists that party tickets would be awarded purely on merit. To a query about Unification Bloc’s claim that without their support Shahbaz Sharif government could not complete its tenure, he agreed with the claim but said it could not be sole criteria for the party ticket. When asked whether the PML-N had promised them party tickets in return of their support in Punjab Assembly he replied denied the allegations.
To a question about opposing party tickets to turncoats by local party organisation, he confirmed there was a lot of pressure and they could not ignore the old leaders.
The Unification Bloc in the Punjab Assembly was established to get the single majority for PML-N government in Punjab. Around 46 members of Punjab Assembly elected on PML-Q ticket switched their loyalty to PML-N after offering heavy perks and privileges by the then Shahbaz Sharif government. They backed the PML-N till last day to protect them from any move of no-confidence from PPP and PML-Q opposition. In fact Shahabz Sharif government completed its tenure by the support of Unification Bloc otherwise the situation might have been different.
Apart from privileges, they were also promised of PML-N tickets in coming elections. However as the election process get in, the local organisation of the PML-N in the constituencies of Unification Blocmembers forced their party to award tickets to the loyal party workers instead of turncoats. The local organisations of the said constituencies strongly opposed the accommodation of turncoats.
So now the PML-N leadership is in a bind; if they award tickets to the Unification Bloc the disgruntled elements might contest as independent candidates and create rift in the party causing damage to the party candidate in elections.
While the majority of the Unification Bloc members’ are tight-lipped as they still see a ray of hope to be accommodated and if at this stage they utter a single word their chances will be further reduced. However they were not hopeful and said they might face the same fate met by Hamkhials.
They said that further delay in awarding tickets will cause dent in their election campaign. Majority of them confirmed that they will take part in election in any case. A few of them disclosed that PML-N will announce its tickets leaving no room for them to have tickets from other party even in that case they will contest independently.
Ata Maneka, once leader of the Unification Bloc and now a PML-N ticket holder confirmed that PML-N had promised to award tickets to the Unification Bloc, but now their fate was still not decided as PML-N leadership had a lot of pressure from local party leadership. He disclosed that conspiracy to weaken the strength of Unification Bloc was hatched when he was replaced by Dr Tahir Ali Javed and now the group is leaderless and did not exist as every one was fighting in individual capacity.
Its difficult for the PML as you never know which set of crooks to choose.
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