PML-Q enters into election fray

LAHORE:

Contrary to what was being said, the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) has decided to give tickets to candidates for all seats in the Punjab Assembly.

Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain chaired a party leaders’ consultative meeting regarding the ongoing political crisis in the country and the Punjab election.

Party Chief Organiser Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, General Secretary Tariq Bashir Cheema, Vice President Chaudhry Salik Hussain, and General Secretary Punjab Chaudhry Shafi Hussain were in attendance.

The meeting discussed the current political situation and the distribution of party tickets for elections in Punjab.

After the consultation, PML-Q decided to give party tickets to candidates for the election campaign and started the process of distribution.

In the meeting, it was also decided to form a four-member negotiation committee of the party for the reconciliation process.

The four-member committee includes Sarwar, Cheema, Salik, and Shafi.

Talking to the participants, Shujaat said, “The country cannot afford to be divided into institutions in any case.”

Putting aside political differences, he said, all political forces should sit together for the wider interest of the country.

Creating possibilities out of impossibilities was the specialty of serious and astute political leaders, he added.

Sarwar said that the PML-Q wanted elections on the same day across the country, and if elections were not held simultaneously, political crisis would deepen.

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He also revealed that the process of organising the party was ongoing, and well-known political personalities were joining the party as well.

On Thursday, the Pakistan Peoples Party issued tickets to candidates despite a public opposition to the provincial polls.

The PPP Central and Southern Punjab Chapter issued tickets to its candidates for allocation of party symbols.

On the other hand, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid had decided against issuing party tickets, leaving those party leaders who filed their nomination papers as independent candidates in the field. Let alone issuing tickets, former MPAs from the PML-N voiced their frustration at their party over not even initiating the scrutiny process for the issuance of party tickets.

All three parties, including the PPP, however, were confident that elections would be delayed till the national elections.

A PML-Q officer bearer had claimed that if at all elections were held on 14 May, the date for issuing party symbols would be extended to allow other parties to become part of the process.

“The PPP does not believe in keeping the field open,” Special Assistant to PM Qamar Zaman Kaira said, adding that the party does not agree with the policy of boycotting elections. He said the PPP despite reservations was taking part in the elections.

“The elections will not be held on 14 May,” he asserted, adding that the PPP agreed with other parties that elections should be held simultaneously throughout the country.

A source within the PPP, however, claimed that they were not 100% sure if the party would actually take part in the elections.

A PML-Q office bearer had said the party position was clear on the issue of elections.