PTI mounting drive to assign tickets

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s campaign for general election enters perhaps the most crucial phase on May 31, when it starts awarding tickets to party candidates, as there is a potential threat of losing certain party leaders and seniors, who will be left out in the process.

“The central parliamentary board decisions can further strengthen the party or weaken it; what is required is strict compliance of the laid down criterion for selection of candidates. And, in majority cases, party candidates must be given preference over new comers. The wave indeed is massively in favour of PTI, which previously was in favour of PML-N in 2013,” conceded a close aide of Chairman Imran Khan, who did not wish to be identified here.

He contended that obviously, who had joined PTI in recent days and weeks must have been given certain assurances, as many of them had even quit their seats in legislatures. So, the situation was tricky, but prudence could catapult the party to leading the rest after elections. Immediately after 2013 elections and even recently, Imran conceded mistakes were made in selection of candidates previously, which would not be repeated now.

PTI Election Management Cell (EMC) received over 4000 applications for most of the directly-contested 849 seats of the National Assembly and four provincial assemblies; these include 3500 from male aspirants and over 150 from females for general seats and remaining for reserved seats.

Already several regional heads had forwarded shortlisted names to the central parliamentary board while others were in the process of doing so. It was learnt that the names of candidates, who have been predicted as sure winners will be announced initially. Each names against each constituency had been chosen by the regional heads, hence the job of the mind board in many cases may not be much complicated.

“The number of applications clearly shows how greatly interested are people to run for elections from PTI platform. We are in a position to field potential candidates on so many seats of the National Assembly and provincial assemblies,” said PTI Central Information Secretary Fawad Chaudhry, when The News approached him on telephone.

He explained that the party had chalked out a plan of meetings of the central parliamentary board: it will announce names of candidates for tickets from Islamabad on May 31, names of candidates from Punjab on June 02 and 03, from Sindh on June 05 and from Balochistan on June 06.

Replying to a question, he sai that the central board had special discretion to add names to the lists if it so desired against any constituency. He also confirmed that each applicant had signed an oath that whether or not he or she would get the party ticket, he would not leave PTI.

“This manifests, how enthusiastic and desperate are so many aspirants to run for elections from PTI. We have received some 1900 applications from Punjab alone for the provincial assembly seats. We intend to field candidates in three-fourth of the total seats of the National Assembly and provincial assemblies,” he pointed out.

A senior party leader from Islamabad told this correspondent that there were 21 candidates for the three NA seats from the Federal Capital and some of them, even had got printed posters, showing as of they had been given tickets to contest polls: one of them was Raja Khurram Nawaz. Strong ‘candidates’ include Asad Umar, Chaudhry Ilyas Meharban, Ali Awan and Amir Kayani. It is pertinent that among these, only Ilyas Meharban has kept a proper party (computerised) set-up in his constituency down to ward level; he had been runner-up in 2013 elections from (old) NA-49 (now NA-53) against the returned candidate of PML-N Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry.

Meanwhile, a south region chapter of the party held scrutiny of 200 candidates at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House here from Saturday at 9:00pm to around 3:00am Sunday. The committee held scrutiny of candidates from Bannu, Kohat, DI Khan, Lakki Marwat, Karak and Tank.

Some of the candidates, who approached, this correspondent alleged that it was just a formality and that the committee, included some members, who themselves, would be contesting in elections. “How can there be scrutiny of so many candidates in a few hours,” they wondered.

One of them claimed that former governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Lt-Gen (R) Iftikhar Hussain declined to appear before the committee, who wants to run for NA seat from Kohat. Interestingly, the committee has PTI MNA Sheharyar Afridi from that district also as its member.

"Obviously, any one who does not fulfill a certain criterion, tends to air allegations and charges, and that is exactly what is happening right now. About party senior Iftikhar Hussain's issue, I have no information," said another party member, who declined to be mentioned here.