PHOOLNAGAR: The veteran workers of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz have blamed the party leadership for ignoring them while awarding tickets for the upcoming local government elections as most of the candidates are either nominees or members of the Rana family of Phoolnagar.
Talking to The News, the PML-N workers, fearing backlash from the local party leadership if named, asked the party leadership that why all the main seats were reserved for the Rana family and the workers ignored. They said the party tickets had been allotted to those who had nothing to do with the party policy and discipline.
Two sons of Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana Iqbal Khan Rana Shahzad Iqbal Khan and Rana Mahmood Iqbal Khan are contesting the local government elections from the PML-N platform. Rana Shahzad is a candidate for the slot of chairman from Union Council-107 (Ghummanke) and Rana Mahmood is contesting for the chairman slot from Union Council-102 (Lambay Jagir). Rana Sikandar Hayat Khan, son of PML-N MNA and Federal Cabinet Division Chairman Rana Hayat Khan, is also contesting for the slot of UC chairman.
Another member of the Rana family, Rana Amir Khan, is contesting for general councillor slot from Ward No-15 of Phoolnagar Municipal Committee. He is the nephew of MNA Rana Hayat Khan and MNA Rana Ishaq Khan. It is learnt that the Rana family has declared Rana Amir a candidate for chairman slot of the municipal committee.
Talking to The News, Rana Iqbal of PTI, a candidate for Ghummanke UC chairman slot, Haji Sarbuland of PTI, a candidate for general councillor, Rana Naeem Riaz (independent), a candidate for Lambay Jagir UC chairman slot, Asghar Joiya of PTI, a candidate for general councillor, and Rao Qadeer of PTI, a candidate for general councillor, claimed that Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana Iqbal Khan was supervising the election campaign of his two sons. They blamed the Rana family for using government resources to woo the voters. “The rival candidates
are being threatened,” they alleged, adding that the voters were also being pressurised and harassed. They claimed that their banners and placards were being damaged by the PML-N supporters. They have demanded the Punjab Election Commission to look into the matter and take immediate and concrete measures in this regard.