PTI issues tickets to disgruntled activists

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has released the revised and final list of candidates of national and provincial assemblies for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, awarding tickets to some of the old guards, including Ali Mohammad Khan and Dost Mohammad Khan Mahsud, former civil servant and an old friend of PTI head Imran Khan, for contesting the general elections.

The party's old activists were not satisfied with the PTI leadership for awarding party tickets to some of the newcomers and openly criticised the decision of their leadership. Some senior PTI people in KP were divided over allotment of party tickets.

Previously, some old PTI workers and close aides to Imran Khan were denied party tickets that created unrest among workers and some of them chose to quit the party and others put pressure on their leadership to revise their decision.

In Swat, the party cancelled a ticket earlier issued to former minister Mehmood Khan for NA-2, Swat-I, and awarded to former MPA Dr Haider Ali. Dr Haider Ali will now contest for the National Assembly and provincial assembly seat, PK-2, Swat-I.

As per PTI sources, Mehmood Khan was nervous to face Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz provincial president Amir Muqam Khan on NA-2, Swat-I.

Since Haider Ali belongs to Khwazakhela, the party leadership chose him to contest against Amir Muqam as the area falls in NA-2. In Peshawar, the party withdrew one ticket from former minister Shah Farman for NA-29, Peshawar-III and awarded it to Nasir Khan Musazai.

Nasir Khan Musazai had recently quit PML-N and joined PTI. Shah Farman was issued three tickets, one for National Assembly and two provincial assembly seats.

He retained his two tickets for provincial assembly, but a previous ticket issued for PK-72 was cancelled and issued him another ticket for PK-70, Peshawar-V and PK-71, Peshawar-VI. The party issued a ticket for PK-72, Peshawar-VII, to the party councillor Fahim Ahmad.

As per the revised list, Ali Mohammad Khan has been awarded PTI ticket for NA-22, Mardan-III. However, some of the influential people in the party, including ex-chief minister Pervez Khattak, ex-speaker provincial assembly Asad Qaiser, former education minister Muhammad Atif Khan, former housing minister Dr Amjad Ali Khan and former public health minister Shah Farman managed to get two or more than two party tickets.

Pervez Khattak is contesting from NA-25, Nowshera-I and two provincial assembly seats, PK-61, Nowshera-I and PK-64, Nowshera-IV. Asad Qaiser is contesting on NA-18, Swabi-I, and PK-44, Swabi-II.

The party had delayed some of the tickets due to differences among the party leaders and workers. In Mardan, some of the PTI people didn't want Ali Mohammad to get the ticket for NA-22, where Ali Mohammad Khan had won previously and was considered a strong contender for the party ticket.

They wanted to give the party ticket to those who recently joined the PTI. Though Ali Mohammad himself didn't raise any protest in public against the party leadership, he is popular among the PTI young workers and their pressure forced PTI leadership to review their decision and that got him the ticket. People used to ridicule Ali Mohammad as he was a staunch supporter of Imran Khan and had blindly backed even his controversial policies.

Former education minister Iftikhar Mohmand, who after changing many political parties recently joined PTI, was considered to get PTI ticket for NA-22. Besides him, the son of an elderly politician, Sarfaraz Khan who joined the PTI after quitting Pakistan People's Party a few months ago, also wanted to seek the party ticket.

Similarly, the PTI leadership issued party ticket for NA-23, Charsadda-I, to Malik Anwar Taj. According to sources, Pervez Khattak wanted to issue the party ticket to his son-in-law while other people were in favour of Jehanzeb Khan Dhaki to contest against Aftab Sherpao.

Jehanzeb Khan had contested against Sherpao in 2013 and secured more than 29,000 votes. He and his supporters kept pressure on the party to seek the PTI ticket but struggle didn't work.

In Charsadda, former MPA for Qaumi Watan Party Khalid Khan was issued the PTI ticket for PK-56, Charsadda-I. Khalid had recently quit QWP and joined PTI. In Mardan, the party issued ticket to former MPA Iftikhar Mashwani for PK-54, Mardan-VII. He was stated to be Pervez Khattak's man and there were rumours that Khattak had used him to counter Atif Khan and his growing influence in the party affairs in Mardan.

According to PTI sources, the party had delayed two party tickets for NA-44 Tribal Area-V, in Bara, Khyber Agency, to find another suitable and strong candidate instead of Mohammad Iqbal Afridi. However, the ticket was finally issued to Iqbal Afridi.

Similarly, the party resolved the issue and issued PTI ticket to former bureaucrat Dost Mohammad Khan Mehsud, an old friend of Imran Khan, for NA-49, Tribal Area-X.