Not awarding ticket to Mehtab creates rifts in PML-N

LAHORE: PML-N’s third list of party tickets led to another controversy as four provincial assembly candidates returned party tickets in protest to the parliamentary board’s decision of not awarding ticket to Sardar Mehtab Abbasi from NA-15.

Mehtab, who had served as chief minister and governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was a PML-N candidate from NA-15 (formerly NA-18 Abbottabad-I). He had lost his seat to PTI’s Dr. Azhar Khan Jadoon in 2013. Mehtab bagged 69568 votes against Azhar who mustered 96185 votes.

After the recent delimitation, two constituencies were merged to form NA-15. This is the home constituency of the veteran politician who fancied his chances of winning from this constituency. While the party decided to nominate his son Sardar Shehryar Mehtab from NA-16, the ticket for NA-15 ticket was awarded to Murtaza Javed Abbasi.

Murtaza is Javed Abbasi’s son. He has served as District Council Abbottabad chairman. He wanted to contest NA 19 against Baba Haider Zaman which was a very safe seat for him, but he gave it up for Nawaz Sharif who won the seat by over 80,000 votes.

The party decision makes electoral sense because as compared to Mehtab’s loss in this constituency, Javed won from NA-18 Abbottabad-II in 2008 against a PMLQ candidate and in 2013 defeated the PTI aspirant as well.

The four candidates who returned the party tickets in protest are: Sardar Farid PK-36, Arshad Awan PK-37, Sardar Aurangzeb PK-38 and Inayatullah PK-39.

Mehtab had also submitted nomination papers from NA-53 Islamabad, regarding which an appeal against the rejection of these nomination papers is still pending. Sources say he had filed these nomination papers from NA-53 on the directions of PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif who wanted him to contest against PTI Chairman Imran Khan from this constituency.

When contacted, Mehtab said the leadership was well aware of the services and sacrifices made by him for the party and he would take the matter up with the party leadership.

“I had been dealing with and trying to calm down the sentiments of disgruntled party leaders from Abbottabad over this issue all day and evening after the tickets for NA-15 were announced,” he said, and added that he would share his course of action after having a word with the leadership over the issue.

Meanwhile, the PML-N also awarded tickets for Mansehra NA-13 to Sardar Shahjahan, NA-14 to Capt Safdar, NA-17 Haripur to Babar Nawaz Khan and Faisalabad PP-114 to Sheikh Ijaz.