PTI leaders miffed that old stalwarts are losing their places to fresh faces

Sindh parliamentary committee accused of favouring blue-eyed boys.


Our Correspondent April 01, 2013
Source said most of the new members who joined the party in October 10 last year have sidelined even the founding leaders of the party in the province. PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI: As nomination papers continue to be filed, even Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) - which has projected itself as one of the most internally-democratic parties - seems to be vulnerable to fissures that develop as a result of wrangling over party tickets.

While talking to The Express Tribune, a senior leader from PTI who has “lost all hope” to get his party’s ticket for a provincial assembly seat said that new faces in Sindh have sidelined those who have been working for the party for a long period of time.

He said on the condition of anonymity that most of the new members who joined the party in October 10 last year have sidelined even the founding leaders of the party in the province. He said PTI’s founding members, including Dawa Khan Sabir, Subhan Ali Sahil, Advocate Sajjad Ali Khan and Inayat Khattak have submitted their nomination papers on PS-93, NA-239, PS-89 and PS-128 respectively. All the constituencies fall in Karachi.



“These candidates won’t get the party tickets. You’ll see. PTI’s provincial general secretary Hafeezuddin and his blue-eyed boys have submitted their nomination papers on these constituencies.” Hafeezuddin, who joined PTI last year, is a member of the provincial parliamentary board which recommends nominees for party tickets.

The leader claimed that the party will ruin its chances of winning seats as the parliamentary committee is mulling over names that are unheard of in constituencies instead of the men who have been campaigning in them for over a decade. “How would people respond if outsiders come and ask them for a vote? People in these areas don’t vote for you if you don’t attend the funerals in their neighbourhoods.”

Hafeezuddin himself has submitted his nomination papers for NA-239 which falls in Keamari and NA-241 which covers Landhi. He has also submitted forms for PS-92 and PS-89.

On his part, Hafeezuddin told The Express Tribune that some people are just not happy no matter what decision the party takes. “Objections from people will never end. The party’s leadership will soon decide who to allot tickets.” He added that the board has given their recommendations to the central parliamentary board and PTI will conduct a meeting on the tickets issue today. According to Hafeezuddin, with a few exceptions, PTI is contesting election on all the national and provincial seats of Karachi.

Dawa Khan Sabir, one of the men named by the anonymous PTI leader, has been striving for the party since 1996 when he was just 18 years old. If granted the party ticket, Khan will contest the elections on PS-93 - which falls in SITE - against Bashir Jan, the general secretary of ANP’s Sindh division and Jamaat-e-Islami’s Abdur Razaq. ANP leader Ameer Nawab won the seat in the last general elections. “I have submitted my nomination paper but the ticket has not yet been allotted by the party,” said Sabir. He refused to give further comments on the matter.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 1st, 2013.

COMMENTS (12)

Ali | 10 years ago | Reply I always thought ET was somewhat bias over its articles, but one thing is sure now that this report is not bias. I personally know one the candidates above who has been working in his constituency for the past two decades and also won the intra party elections but has been denied the party ticket over another candidate who resides in a poch area of defence and hs been selected on some peroosnal 'sifarish' through internal party politics. And the best part is that this candidate is not even a official member of pti and never participated in intra party elections as well. So all this democratic elections which took place was a public show as pti at the end only is giving tickets to ppl who are 'financially sound' and can make them win a seat regardless of their personal character and ideology!
DevilHunterX | 10 years ago | Reply

Maybe some people need to look up on how democracy and democratic political parties work.

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