RAWALPINDI: With the elections, just a few weeks away, the campaigning for various parties has been limited to posters and banners due to the high temperature in the city and the lack of interest from the locals in Rawalpindi, a local media house reported.
This had been visible throughout the city as the election momentum has not yet been picked up by the party workers, thus resorting to the monotonous campaigning concept.
According to the local media report, during the previous elections in 2013, parties like Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) established its central elections office on Liaquat Road, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Murree Road and the Pakistan Muslim League -Nawaz (PML-N) on both.
However, as of now, the parties are more interested in settling disputes over the distribution of party tickets than actively campaigning for their candidates.
Other than Awami Muslim League’s Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, who has opened Lal Haveli to the public, political parties in the city have not made decisions on their elections schedule or central offices yet.
A senior PPP leader stated that the candidates are not willing to spend money. thus the party’s popularity in the city is not visible. Moreover, no plans for any public meetings had been decided.
Former PML-N MNA Malik Shakil Awan said electioneering was limited to door-to-door and street campaigning, and an election office would be established by the National Assembly candidate soon.
Former PTI MPA Arif Abbasi also admitted to a lack of momentum in the party’s campaigning because of a lack of interest on the part of candidates and workers.
During the 2013 elections, campaigning began two months earlier, with the inauguration of the PTI’s central office by Chairman Imran Khan. This time, however, the party was not interested in the work needed to establish a central office that will coordinate with all seven National Assembly constituencies in the district.
