Awan, Umar among aspirants for PTI tickets

Party’s parliamentary board to meet next month to invite applications from potential candidates

ISLAMABAD: Several veteran leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have started lobbying to secure party tickets to contest election amid the party chief’s persistent demand to hold the vote earlier than the schedule.

Even though the PTI parliamentary boards – mandated to finalise candidates for next elections – have not yet formally invited applications from potential candidates, the competition has already turned fierce.

Several old-timers and newcomers to the party are vying for party’s nominations from the federal capital that would have an additional National Assembly seat in accordance with the latest census data.

Prominent among the aspirants are Asad Umar, Dr Babar Awan, Dr Waseem Shahzad, Faisal Javed Khan, Ali Nawaz Awan, Raja Khurram Nawaz, Chaudhry Ilyas Meharban and Ali Bokhari.



Previously, there were two NA seats in the Islamabad Capital Territory. One of them, NA-48, was secured by the PTI while the other, NA-49, was won by the PML-N.

In case of the passage of a constitutional amendment on delimitation of constituencies pending in Senate, a third constituency will be created in Islamabad.

MNA Asad Umar, who believes that one needs not be an elected parliamentarian to serve the nation and the party, is the strongest among the candidates, according to insiders.

It remains to be seen whether Umar would look after the party’s affairs in urban Sindh, as desired by party chief Imran Khan, or he would stay on in the federal capital.

Umar told The Express Tribune that Khan had once asked him to play an active role in Sindh politics but the idea was dropped and Khan himself asked him to stay on in the capital.

“I am a professional and want to serve my party. I am not interested in a party ticket. The party will decide how it will utilise my expertise,” Umar said recently.



Background discussions with veteran PTI leaders suggest that a new PTI entrant, Dr Babar Awan, who enjoys close association with the PTI chief, is also an aspirant for the party ticket for NA-48. Awan joined the PTI in June this year. He was elected as senator on PPP ticket. In 2002, he was a PPP candidate for NA-48, but lost.

PTI’s additional secretary information Faisal Javed Khan is also an aspirant for the party ticket for the same NA seat. Faisal joined the PTI in 1996 and his campaign was personally run by Khan when he contested 2002 general elections from Islamabad.

Chaudhry Ilyas Meharban, who was the party’s candidate from NA-49 in 2013 elections, is also among the ticket aspirants. He secured 57,383 votes but lost the seat to PML-N’s Tariq Fazl Chaudhry.

Other candidates in the run are PTI district president Raja Khurrum Nawaz (NA-49), Ali Nawaz Awan (NA-48), president of PTI’s youth wing Ali Bokhari and Dr Shahzad Waseem.

PTI parliamentary board, scheduled to meet in mid-December, would formally invite applications from potential candidates.