PESHAWAR: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)’s former lawmaker Noor Alam Khan said on Saturday that he would contest the next general election for the National Assembly constituency NA-3 if he was given the ticket of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
“Though the PTI has not nominated me as its candidate for NA-3, I will contest the election from this constituency if my party leadership gave me the ticket,” the former MNA said while talking to The News. “I have quit the party of Asif Ali Zardari. Now Imran Khan is my leader,” he declared.
Noor Alam recently joined the PTI and ended his long association with the PPP. Appreciating the PTI leadership, including Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, he said he was getting heard and had been assured that the problems facing the people of constituency would be resolved.
“I am quite happy the way things are going,” he said. He expressed the hope that he would get the PTI ticket for contesting the next general election from NA-3. He hoped that he would win the election with the support of workers and activists.
Asked whether he faced any resistance from PTI activists who think it was their right to get the party ticket, Noor Alam said the PTI had a proper systemfor the award of tickets and its leadership sought opinion from its rank and file before allowing a person to join the party.
He said the PTI leaders had discussed the issue with the relevant quarters before taking the decision to welcome him in the party. “However, one thing is very clear that there is no room for the corrupt in the PTI,” he pointed out. Without naming anyone, he said many people would soon join the PTI. However, he didn’t disclose the name of any PPP leader who might announce joining the Imran Khan-led party.
Noor Alam said the media could conduct a detailed survey in his constituency regarding the existing situation and development work as he didn’t like appreciating his own work. When reminded that he had won the NA-3 Peshawar seat on the PPP ticket andwith the support of its workers, Noor Alam said that in the previous election some PPP leaders including former speaker Kiramatullah Khan and late Iftikhar Khan Jhagra had supported his opponents.
He reminded that former PPP MPA Malik Tehmas Khan had fielded his brother Malik Firdous Khan against himin the polls. Noor Alam expressed ignorance about the likely PPP candidate for NA-3 in the next election. “I have worked hard and would face all the candidates including that of the PPP in the election,” he added.