ISLAMABAD:
Influential politician Sikandar Hayat Bosan has suggested that he may join Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), giving the party an additional boost in Southern Punjab as it prepares to welcome former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi to their side.
“I have a soft corner for Imran Khan,” Bosan told The Express Tribune on Tuesday. “I will announce my decision in two or three days.”
Bosan, among the most powerful politicians from Multan, defeated Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in an election there in 1997.
Bosan said he had been considering various options after he was not invited by Jehangir Tareen to a meeting of his ‘Clean Party’ in Islamabad.
Tareen, who chaired two meetings in Islamabad, invited only a select group of politicians, most of them from Southern Punjab, but not Bosan. Tareen is also believed to be considering an alliance with the PTI.
A close friend of Bosan said he was also being wooed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the party whose ticket he ran on when he defeated Gilani in 1997.
Ijaz Chaudhry, the PTI chief organiser for Southern Punjab, said a party team would formally call on Bosan at his residence in Multan on Friday. “We will deliver Imran Khan’s special message to him,” he said.
PTI Information Secretary Omar Sarfaraz Cheema said that efforts to unite the PTI and the ‘clean party’ were ongoing. “Some of them may join PTI,” he said. “Our party’s focus is on inviting electable candidates from the rural areas of Punjab and Sindh.”
Published in The Express Tribune, November 16th, 2011.
COMMENTS (16)
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All those who are looking for clean faces, need to realize that not all the old faces are fraud. For example can anyone point case of corruption against Sikandar Bosan. Dont resist him because he is veteran politician and very electable. IK has to land in PM house first then, he could slowly root out bad apples.
If one more so-called "electable" already tried, good for nothing, failed, power monger politician joins PTI, Imran will loose my support!
This isnt the change we want. And honestly, what will come out of it wont be the change in the first place. Insha-Allah change will come, and will come without the "electable" politicians-cum-feudals!
Please keep in mind that people in rural areas would prefer to vote for a person from their own caste or from a specific dharra(grouping). It would be a near impossible task for PTI to break this pattern actually it will take ages before we see any change in rural peoples voting pattern.
I don´t want another term from PPP or PML-N or any of the other tested parties. All of them has failed miserably. PTI is the only party which gives me a ray of hope for a better and a progressive Pakistan. I would rather want Imran Khan to be elected as a Prime Minister in 2013 than wait another 25 year or more before peoples start thinking outside their castes and dharras and we have a change. Imran Khan in government will for sure have immense challenges but I have full confidence in IK and PTI that they will be able to tackle the various issues and bring about a change. It might be accompanied with discomfort and some drawbacks but it will be a change for the better.
Best of luck to PTI .
To all the idealists: There WILL be compromise. It is inevitable. Deal with it and realise that you can ONLY effect change when you get into power. Grow up people.
Imran Khan must be clear in his statements in regards to the establishment and Washington and their right and wrong policies! As I have seen his intereview and he was not yet concrete, clear and transparent in this regard and I think every elite Pakistani know the black roles of the above give powers in Pakistan... Khan is not addressing this aspect fully and adequately..!!
He is not an "electable'. He stands no chance against Yousaf Raza Gillani despite the disrepute he enjoys in the country he is very strong in his own constituency. He wasn't invited to join the clean party and hence must be invited into pti seems to be the policy of late because we have hardly seen any clean people joining the ranks.
PTI should take on board people with clean slate.
This is not what Imran Khan promised the nation!
To win from the rural areas PTI has to select the winning candidate. As the rural politics is quite different than urban. 80% of the Urban population are uneducated the remaining also follows their Baradari.
@MS: "Electable" means there are elegibility criteria that apply. These have been given by PTI. One of the criteria is that candidates need to pass the scrutiny of the PTI committee set up to check on corruption record of the potential candidate.
We were very hopeful that Imran will bring a change. He will improve our standard of education and get rid of corruption. Alas! We were wrong. His information secretary's statement says it all, “Our party’s focus is on inviting electable candidates from the rural areas of Punjab and Sindh.” This ain't a change. It's simply called aiming for "Power". Admitting the same old corrupt faces ain't bringing any change.
Now, all the political opportunists are eyeing on the rising PTI. Prudent choices & sane political decisions only can sustain the popularity momentum which PTI has recently picked up.