Ruling coalition holds back tickets despite deadline
Despite the fact that it was the deadline, all leading political parties from the ruling alliance in Punjab on Thursday withheld the submission of party tickets to candidates to participate in the court-ordered elections in the province on May 14 and obtain electoral symbols from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
The PTI, which has been advocating elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in accordance with the Constitution, is the only leading political party from the opposition to have issued tickets to their 297 candidates.
The leaders and office-bearers of the ruling parties told The Express Tribune that they had decided not to issue tickets to their candidates in line with their unified position of opposing separate elections in Punjab and K-P.
According to the schedule issued by the ECP, April 20 was the last day to assign party tickets to their candidates to acquire electoral symbols from the commission.
The PML-N leaders told The Express Tribune that the party had decided not to issue tickets. They added that as the PML-N had already taken a position against holding separate elections, the decision thus far was to not issue tickets.
Many MPAs, who had been assured of tickets, remained in their division camps waiting for any word from the party throughout the day.
Former PML-N MPA from Lahore, Akhtar Hussain, told The Express Tribune that there had been no movement in the party in connection with the elections.
He added that they had waited throughout the day for any information about tickets, but they received no word from the party. “The party is apparently not issuing us its tickets,” he continued.
Another former MPA from Multan, Muhammad Salman, who had switched sides to join the PML-N from the PTI, said to his knowledge, the party was not issuing tickets.
He added that the PML-N’s position on elections had been very clear right from the start.
He continued that if tickets were not issued by Friday, they would contest the polls as independent candidates.
The PPP candidates, who were unofficially informed about the decision about the issuance of tickets, waited throughout the day at the party’s central Punjab secretariat in Lahore but went back empty-handed.
PPP acting Central Punjab President Rana Farooq Saeed said all candidates were at the party office for tickets.
However, he added that as they were not given the permission by the party's high command, so they withheld the tickets. He continued that the PPP was not going for any seat adjustment and would have contested for almost all Punjab Assembly seats.
He revealed that tickets for southern Punjab had been withheld as well.
A PML-Q insider revealed that a decision had been made by all parties in the ruling alliance to not issue tickets.
He added 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 the ECP an opportunity to argue before the Supreme Court that as most of the leading political parties had not become part of the electoral process given their apprehensions, so the polls should be delayed.
He also made it clear that the PML-Q had not issued any tickets.
In a related development, the ECP extended the time for submission of party tickets and allotment of symbols till Thursday midnight for the convenience of candidates.
The provincial election commissioner and all returning officers have been informed about this decision.
The commission advised all the political parties that they should ensure the handing over of their tickets to their candidates by the mentioned time.
It added that candidates should have their election symbols allotted by their respective returning officer.
The commission continued that this was necessary so that the process of allotment of electoral symbols could be completed as per schedule.
(With input from our correspondent in Islamabad)