Bickering, infighting on award of tickets

ISLAMABAD: The award of tickets to candidates for contesting 2018 general election has exposed the political parties to infighting and bickering.

The disputes emerged between the workers and leaderships of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) as well as the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in different parts of the country.

In some constituencies disgruntled workers even attacked and injured the candidates. Meanwhile, launching his election campaign from Dhamyal area of Rawalpindi on Sunday, former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan asked the electorate to not vote for him if their living standard was not on a par with that of the people in constituencies of Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari and Imran Khan.

Nisar said that he will soon tell the nation about his differences with the PML-N Quaid Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. “I have never struck any deal in my life. I am not being supported by the PTI or PML-N. I will soon tell why I chose to stand as an independent candidate,” he said.

Nisar warned his opponents that the people of Dhamyal will reject them by a big margin. “I have seen survey reports — they are all saying that the people here will only vote for me. You have all made me proud,” he added.

Taking a jibe at his political opponent Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Nisar said he was contesting against a person who was once a close aide to former military ruler General (R) Pervez Musharraf.

“He fits into every party. Nowadays he is making tall claims after taking ticket from Imran Khan,” he added. “ Nisar challenged the PTI’s nominee to contest polls as an independent candidate.

“If you are so confident, contest against me as an independent candidate. That will be a true contest then,” he said. “As many as 70 per cent people of my area are getting water. The person who is coming here from Taxila has remained a federal minister. You all should question him what he did for water here.”

Meanwhile, the PML-N leadership Sunday fielded candidates against Nisar from two constituencies of the National Assembly. The PML-N suddenly changed its decision of not awarding ticket to any candidate against Nisar, as till Saturday it was decided to leave the field open to him. Issuing authority letters to Qamarul Islam Raja from NA-59 and Sardar Mumtaz Khan from NA-63, the party has directed them to start their campaigns.