Ashraf says he hasn’t left party, says PM Majeed’s ‘hostility’ towards him forced boycott of elections
In a surprising and dramatic move, PPP nominated candidate from Mirpur City LA-III electoral constituency Chaudhry Muhammad Ashraf announced on Saturday to boycott the scheduled July 21 general elections in AJK as a protest against the hostile, negative, hypocritical and insincere behavior of Prime Minister Ch Abdul Majeed towards him as well as his election campaign in the constituency.
Ashraf, who is also the sitting Special Assistant to AJK Prime Minister and former city mayor, announced to boycott contesting the AJK legislative assembly elections, while addressing a crowded press conference at his central political office-cum-residence – the Naangi House on Saturday.
He was flanked by his party’s local associates including former city administrator Khawaja Sajid Mahmood, Ch Waqas Ashraf, Asif Mir, Zaka Joshi, Tariq Hamza, Mirza Rashed Beig, Choudhri Sawaria and Usmaan Munir Sanwala.
Ashraf made it clear that he has only boycotted contesting the elections, but he has not left the party.
“I have informed the party’s top brass, including Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and in charge of the party’s AJK affairs Faryaal Talpur. My decision to boycott contesting the polls comes as a protest against the continued negative and hostile attitude of prime minister Ch. Abdul Majeed, who also heads AJK Chapter of the PPP, right from the first day the party’s top leadership granted the party mandate to him to jump in the scheduled elections arena being the candidate of PPP in the constituency of Mirpur city LA – III,” he declared.
He added that the party’s top leadership raised no any objection over his decision of leaving the ground of the elections fight.
Ch Ashraf thanked the party’s top leadership of granting him party ticket to contest the scheduled AJK elections from Mirpur city under the fold of PPP.
Lambasting Ch Abdul Majeed for his alleged negative role both towards him and the party, the raging Ashraf branded Majeed of being the hidden enemy number one of both the party (PPP) and his person, as well as the enemy of the city of Mirpur city.
Ashraf continued that although he was granted the party ticket in the by-elections in the same constituency last year, the prime minister Majeed hatched conspiracies against him and the party’s interests because of, what he called, his traditional hypocritical role during the above by-polls which led to his defeat in the elections.
He recalled adding that Majeed’s hypocritical role against him and his own party (PPP) caused the falling of his vote bank to 11,000 as compared to 17,000 he (Ashraf) had secured in the previous AJK General Elections held in 2011.
The angry candidate of PPP in the AJK elections further charged the AJK PM of deliberately ignoring Mirpur city in the development process during his entire term in power.
Ashraf further accused Ch Majeed of launching a hidden election campaign for PML (N) candidate from Mirpur city constituency in the elections instead of supporting and encouraging his (Ashraf) electioneering.
Ashraf underlined that instead of performing an active role to gear up his election campaign, Majeed had started undermining him through one pretext or the other in the party ranks.
It may be added here that Ch Ashraf was being considered as strong candidate from Mirpur city constituency at par with the PML-N’s candidate Ch Muhammad Saeed and the PTI’s Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry.
