ISLAMABAD: Top political parties are facing the wrath of disgruntled party workers and aspiring candidates after awarding party tickets for the July 25 polls.
In Karachi, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has ordered the formation of a high-level committee to placate disgruntled party candidates unhappy with the distribution of tickets in the province.
The committee includes former chief minister Qaim Ali Shah, provincial party president Nisar Khuhro and central information secretary Maula Bux Chandio.
Sources said Bilawal has directed the committee members to contact the disgruntled party candidates and address their grievances.
According to sources, PPP candidates in Thatta, Ghotki, Tharparkar and Mithi are unhappy with the distribution of tickets.
The award of PPP tickets to the Shirazi brothers of Thatta has upset the local PPP workers, sources shared.
Cracks in PML-N’s Lahore fortress:
Meanwhile, in Lahore, fissures have appeared in the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) owing to “unfair” distribution of tickets.
In NA-125, former MPA (Member Provincial Assembly) and provincial minister Bilal Yasin is pitted against the opposing Ayaz Bobby group. Yasin has remained as an MNA (Member National Assembly) and MPA from the same constituency.
In PP-161, the Khokhar brothers are upset with the party leadership after Faisal Saif Khokhar was denied a PML-N ticket while in PP-147, PML-N’s Asghar Butt will contest as an independent against the party’s nominated candidate, Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman.
Similarly, supporters of former MPA Sohail Shaukat Butt have refused to support the party’s candidate for NA-128, Rohail Asghar, while posters against NA-129 candidate Ayaz Sadiq and Salman Rafique have propped up in their constituencies.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has withdrawn party tickets from two Gujrat candidates.
The names of former Gujrat district president Chaudhry Ilyas and Muhammad Zubair are missing from the list issued by the party of candidates for the General Election 2018.
Chaudhry Ilyas had been issued a ticket by the party for NA-71 Gujrat constituency while Muhammad Zubair was to contest from PP-28.
Earlier on Sunday, the PTI withdrew the ticket awarded to former federal minister Sikandar Hayat Bosan amid growing protest by angry workers against ‘unjustified’ awarding of tickets in many constituencies.