Top political parties face fissures over distribution of party tickets

ISLAMABAD: Top political parties have had to face the wrath of disgruntled party workers and aspiring candidates after awarding party tickets for the July 25 polls.

In Karachi, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari ordered the formation of a high-level committee to placate the disgruntled party candidates unhappy with the distribution of tickets in the province. The committee includes former chief minister Qaim Ali Shah and provincial party president Nisar Khuhro and central information secretary Maula Bux Chandio, Geo News reported.

Sources said Bilawal directed the committee members to contact the disgruntled party candidates. According to sources, the PPP candidates in Thatta, Ghotki, Tharparkar and Mithi are unhappy with the distribution of tickets for the July 25 polls.

The award of PPP tickets to the Shirazi brothers of Thatta has upset the local PPP workers, sources shared. Meanwhile, in Lahore, fissures have appeared in the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) circles owing to “unfair” distribution of tickets. In NA-125, former MPA and provincial minister Bilal Yasin is pitted against the opposing Ayaz Bobby group. Yasin has remained as an MNA and MPA from the same constituency and is reportedly allied with Maryam Nawaz.

In PP-161, the Khokhar brothers are upset with the party leadership after Faisal Saif Khokhar was denied a PML-N ticket, while in PP-147, PML-N’s Asghar Butt will contest as an independent against the party’s nominated candidate Mujtaba Shuja. Similarly, supporters of former MPA Sohail Shaukat Butt have refused to support the party's candidate for NA-128 Rohail Asghar, while posters against NA-129 candidate Ayaz Sadiq and Salman Rafique have propped up in their constituencies.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has withdrawn party tickets from two of its Gujrat candidates. The names of former Gujrat district president Chaudhry Ilyas and Muhammad Zubair are missing from the list issued by the party of candidates for the elections 2018. Chaudhry Ilyas had been issued a ticket by the party for NA-71 Gujrat constituency while Muhammad Zubair was to contest from PP-28.

Earlier on Sunday, the PTI withdrew the ticket awarded to former federal minister Sikandar Hayat Bosan amid growing protest by angry workers against ‘unjustified’ awarding of tickets in many constituencies.