PTI activists in Malakand not to support party candidates

PESHAWAR: The disgruntled workers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) from Malakand district on Thursday announced not to support the party candidates in the upcoming general election.

Speaking at a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club, Nek Muhammad, Raziq Jan, Muhammad Hayat, Iftikhar Khan and others, who had submitted papers for the national and provincial assemblies' constituencies from Malakand, said that the PTI had not chosen the candidates on merit.

They said 13 strong candidates of PTI, including founding members, had submitted papers for the provincial constituencies and five NA seats. They said they had requested the parliamentary board to award tickets on merit among these candidates. However, the board selected a person who could not win a local council seat, they added. "Imran Khan would boast that he would award ticket on merit but unfortunately the ticket was awarded on the basis of wealth," Nek Muhammad said. They rejected the decision of the parliamentary board and accused Murad Saeed of playing a negative role in the award of tickets. The PTI workers claimed that the party candidate had secured 52,000 votes in previous election due to their support.