PTI activists reject ‘unpopular’ nominee for PK-7

MINGORA: Four candidates and leaders of nine union councils of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday rejected the decision of what they claimed awarding ticket of PK-7 to an unpopular person.

Addressing a press conference here at the Swat Press Club here, PTI local leadership belonging to nine union councils and four candidates of PTI who have submitted nomination papers for PK-7 by-election, claimed that one Haji Fazal Maula was an unpopular person and had joined the PTI recently.

They said according to the reports, the ticket of PK-7 has been awarded to Haji Fazal Maula, without taking the local leadership and workers of PK-7 into confidence.

“[Prime Minister] Imran Khan is our leader and we are bound to respect every decision taken by him. We want to communicate to our leadership that if the ticket of this constituency was awarded to an unknown and unpopular candidate, the workers of PTI would have reservations,” Rahman said and added that he believed that in the best interest of the party, the decision would be reviewed.

Another candidate and local leader of PTI, Saeed Khan Dherai, said that the party should not ignore the sacrifices of the workers.“Some people join the party only to contest the election. The leadership must identify these opportunists,” Saeed explained and added that the leadership should award ticket after having a survey in this constituency.

“We don’t want to lose this seat at any cost. I am afraid that if the ticket was not awarded on merit, the rival candidate may win it, which would be a setback for the PTI-led provincial government,” said Samiullah, who is also in the run to avail PTI ticket.

Leaders of various union councils from Swat also threatened, that if the decision was not reviewed, they may stage a sit-in outside the Banigala residence of the party chief and Imran Khan.

Peshawar: Awami National Party (ANP) has directed the party organisation in Shangla to make efforts for ensuring the victory of the joint opposition candidate in the PK-23 election in the district.

Through a statement issued here on Monday, ANP provincial general secretary Sardar Hussain Babak asked his party workers to support the candidate of the opposition. “We expect from our workers and office-bearers to implement the party’s decisions,” he went on to add. He said his party would not compromise on violation of party principles and would take action against anyone violating the discipline.

The party workers and office-bearers were not allowed to use the party platform or flag in violation of the party decisions, he added.

Sardar Hussain Babak said the ANP was an ideological and principled party and its workers would ensure the victory of the PML-N candidate. He hoped the opposition candidate would defeat the nominee of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf candidate in the election.