Tough contest between Rashid, Abbasi on the cards

Rawalpindi: As the Pakistan Muslim League-N completes line up for the upcoming general elections, the twin city of Rawalpindi will see interesting competition between arch rivals Shaikh Rashid Ahmad and Muhammad Hanif Abbasi.

The PML-N has awarded ticket to Hanif Abbasi from NA-60 where he would be facing Shaikh Rashid Ahmad. The rivalry between Hanif Abbasi and Shaikh Rashid Ahmad is not too old but it started from 2008 bye elections when latter’s nephew was beaten by Abbasi in 2008 bye elections.

Shaikh Rashid settled the score five years later when he acted between victory of Imran Khan against Hanif Abbasi in 2013 general elections.

Shaikh Rashid Ahmad of Awami Muslim League who had opted to contest general elections from two National Assembly seats, will be facing Daniyal Chaudhry from NA-62 has already started his election campaign in his own way. On Sunday also, Rashid riding on a motor bike visited different areas of two constituencies.

The PML-N leadership while awarding tickets for the next general elections, preferred Daniyal Chaudhry to a staunch party worker Malik Shakeel Awan who had defeated Shaikh Rashid Ahmad in bye election in 2010 from then NA-55 after Haji Parvez Khan’s resignation following an examination scandal against him.

The PML-N parliamentary board on advice of party leadership rewarded Daniyal Chaudhry who is son of another PML-N leader Chaudhry Tanveer for his father’s loyalty with Nawaz Sharif’s family and his support to them in difficult times. However, Shakeel Awan has been compensated by issuing Punjab Assembly ticket from PP-18, Rawalpindi.

Making the most of invisible differences amongst the PML-N workers coupled with the PTI support, Shaikh Rashid is likely to have easy sailing from NA-62.

As such, all eyes would be on tough competition between Hanif Abbasi and Shaikh Rashid Ahmad from NA-60. Following his defeat in 2013 general elections, the Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif assigned task of Rawalpindi Islamabad Metro Bus project which he successfully completed in the shortest possible besides executing projects of Rawalpindi Institute of Urology which is near completion and creating many sports grounds in the city.

On the other hand, the PTI chairman Imran Khan visited the constituency only twice following 2013 victory against Hanif Abbasi who continued to made his presence felt here.

On the other hand, Shaikh Rashid Ahmad is trying to exploit religious issues including change in oath which is required to be submitted along with nomination papers by a candidate intending to contest for National Assembly and Punjab Assembly seats. The change later was reversed by the Parliamentarian.

However, this is a fact it were parliamentarians of religio-political parties JUI-F and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and not Shaikh Rashid who for the first time pointed out change in the oath on floor of two houses of the Parliament.