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Move perturbs top leaders in Punjab
LAHORE: In a surprise move for the preparations of the 2018 general elections, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to assign the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) parliamentary board the responsibility of awarding tickets to the Punjab candidates, Pakistan Today learnt on Thursday.
High-ranking sources in the PTI said the apparent purpose of giving the responsibility to the KP parliamentary board is to avoid the corruption of awarding tickets to their favourite candidates and subsequently receiving bribes worth millions. The sources further told that the PTI parliamentary party is the same that previously decided the recipients of the tickets for the Mardan by-polls and local body elections in the KP.
“PTI’s top brass in Punjab including central leader Ijaz Chaudhry, PTI’s Lahore President Waleed Iqbal and opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly have not been taken on board to decide that who will get the tickets to contest in Punjab,” the sources said.
“The PTI board had planned to meet in Punjab on January 10 in Lahore, but could not hold the meeting due to joint protest of the opposition parties. It is likely that the meeting will now be held in February,” they added.
“The PTI’s novel move will end corruption and may cause unrest among old party workers as the top party leadership in Punjab allegedly used to distribute the party tickets without consulting the higher command. The PTI has rolled up its sleeves for the 2018 general elections and will form the next government by selecting potential candidates,” the sources said.
The PTI has notified the ticket-awarding board for Punjab which comprises 10 members, including the party Chairman Imran Khan, Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Secretary General Jehangir Khan Tareen, Secretary Information Shafqat Mehmood, MNA Asad Umar, the presidents of all four regions in Punjab, including Amir Kiyani (north), Aleem Khan (central Punjab), Rai Hassan Nawaz (west), Ishaq Khadwani (south) and Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar.
At the same time in 2017, the party had announced an 11-member parliamentary board for KP. The board for KP involves Imran Khan, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Jehangir Tareen, Asad Umar, KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, KP Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Additional Secretary General Atif Khan, Head of Peshawar region Shah Farman, Head of Hazara region Zar Gul Khan, Head of Malakand region Mehmood Khan and the President south region KP Ali Ameen Gandapur.
However, the unprecedented move has perturbed the party ranks in Punjab.
A senior PTI leader speaking on the condition of anonymity said that it is injustice with the Punjab leadership and the party itself.
“The KP parliamentary board knows nothing about Punjab and does not have much knowledge about the candidates in Punjab. This action will frustrate Punjab’s top leaders since they are being excluded from the important decision-making process,” he said.
PTI Lahore President Waleed Iqbal has dispelled the impression that KP’s parliamentary board will decide the recipients of the tickets in Punjab.
“It is untrue. The KP and Punjab have separate parliamentary boards who will be deciding the tickets for their respective candidates. The boards in this regard have already been notified,” he added.