PDM refrains from issuing election tickets

All leading political parties from the ruling alliance in Punjab withhold their announcement of tickets, despite Thursday being the last day for allotment for symbols which requires the party ticket to be issued.

Leaders and office bearers of the said parties told The Express Tribune that they have decided not to issue tickets to their candidates in line with their unified position of opposing separate elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which has been advocating elections in Punjab and K-P in accordance with the constitution, is the only leading political party from the opposition to have issued tickets to their candidates.

According to the schedule issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), 20 April was the day to assign party symbols to their candidates.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, while talking to The Express Tribune, said that the party has decided not to issue them tickets. They said that since PML-N has already taken a position against holding separate elections, the decision thus far was to not issue tickets.

Many MPAs who have been assured of party tickets, remained in their division camps waiting for the word on party tickets throughout the day.

Former PML-N MPA from Lahore, Akhtar Hussain, told The Express Tribune that there has been no movement in the party regarding elections. He said that they waited throughout the day for any information regarding tickets, but they received no word. He also said that it seems that the party was not issuing them tickets.

Another former MPA from Multan, who had switched sides to join PML-N from PTI, Muhammad Salman, said that to his knowledge, the party was not issuing any tickets. He said that PML-N’s position on elections has been very clear right from the start. He added that if tickets are not issued by Friday, they would hold contest the polls as independent candidates.

Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) candidates, who were unofficially informed about the decision regarding tickets, waited throughout the day at the party’s central Punjab secretariat office in Lahore but went back empty-handed.

Party’s Acting Central Punjab President Rana Farooq Saeed said that all candidates were at the party office for tickets, but since they were not given the permission by party’s higher command, so they withheld the tickets. He added that the party was not going for any seat adjustment and that they would contest from almost all Punjab Assembly seats. He revealed that southern Punjab has withheld tickets as well.

A Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) insider revealed that the decision has been taken by all parties in the ruling alliance to not issue tickets.

He said that there was something bigger at play here, and not only was the non-issuance of tickets in line with the alliance’s position, but it would give ECP an opportunity to argue before the Supreme Court (SC) that since most leading political parties have not become part of the electoral process given their apprehension, so the elections should be delayed.

He also made it clear that PML-Q would not issue any tickets.