Political temperatures spike in NA-57
In the lead-up to the official announcement of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz’s (PML-N) election candidates for NA-57 Rawalpindi, the political climate is heating up with the emergence of a pressure group staunchly supporting anticipated candidate Sajjad Khan. This group openly opposes the potential candidacy of Barrister Danial Chaudhry, injecting an air of intensity into the pre-election dynamics.
According to sources, members of this influential pressure group have strategically applied for election tickets across various parties, collectively pledging their allegiance to Sajjad Khan in NA-57. Simultaneously, they strongly express their opposition to Barrister Danial Chaudhry.
Insiders reveal that a crucial meeting among pressure group members transpired in a local hotel between Sunday and Monday night.
Key figures, including Senior Vice President PML-N Rawalpindi Mirza Mansoor Baig, Raja Amanullah Sati, Chaudhry Inam Zafar, Waheed Akhtar Abbasi, Ubaidullah Abbasi, Sanaullah Khan, Shabbir Ahmed, Asghar Khan, and Raja Zafar Sati, attended the meeting.
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The participants applauded Sajjad Khan's performance in the 2018 by-elections for Constituency NA-57, unanimously urging the party leadership to grant him the ticket for NA-57, along with a similar endorsement for Nasir Butt from PP-18.
The group asserted that if the party leadership favours Barrister Danial Chaudhry over Sajjad Khan for the NA-57 ticket, they will openly oppose the decision and abstain from participating in the election campaign.
On the flip side, party leaders Hanif Abbasi and former senator Chaudhry Tanveer Khan champion Barrister Daniyal Chaudhry for the party ticket. Both potential candidates, Sajjad Khan and Barrister Daniyal Chaudhry, have initiated meetings with their respective supporters, jumpstarting local-level election campaigns ahead of the formal ticket announcements.
This sets the stage for a dynamic and potentially contested political landscape within PML-N's internal dynamics.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 12th, 2023.