Ahsan eyes contentious constituency amid rifts

PML-N General Secretary Ahsan Iqbal will likely contest elections from not only his own national assembly constituency, NA 76, but from also a provincial constituency which falls under NA 75, from where Danial Aziz is expected to get the party ticket, as Ahsan Iqbal’s son Ahmad Iqbal, according to sources, was asked to pull out from the race.

The provincial assembly seat in question PP 54, became a point of contention between the PMLN general secretary and Danial, as the former wanted his son to be awarded this ticket, while the later wanted the ticket to be awarded to Awais Qasim.

Danial's public outburst against former minister planning whereby he held Ahsan responsible for price hikes in Pakistan, was said to be a consequence of this turf war. Ahsan was also seen advocating a ticket for his son, citing his educational credentials and the services he had rendered as a district chairman, in a bid to do away the impression dynasty politics, and of encroaching on Danial’s turf.  

Ahsan reportedly accused Danial of seeking a provincial seat under his seat for a turn coat, referring to Owais Qasim, and termed this as a reason for his unfounded allegations against him.

Danial though, was issued a show cause notice over his statement that created an embarrassment for the party, but he stood his ground.  According to sources, even party supremo Nawaz Sharif during the parliamentary meeting of Narowal expressed his dismay with Danial over the said statements.

Interestingly, according to several party leaders in Narowal, from the said PP seat that was becoming the point of friction, Ahsan himself would now be contesting instead of his son. A well-placed source confirmed that Ahmad would not be contesting from the said seat.

He said that the instructions came from top party leadership as the party wanted to assuage Danial’s concerns as well. He said another reason for Ahsan contesting from his seat was to have him in Punjab where he would become the next chief minister of the province.

Asked how would this equation work, given that both are not on good terms, he said it would not be difficult for Ahsan to contest the seat from under Danial. 

Asked that given that the second PP seat under Danial was also going to a new face, as  Abu Hafs Ghias was not expected to get the ticket, given the way he was treated during the parliamentary meeting where he was asked point blank if he has re-joined PML-N or not, sources said that it was clear that Danial was being elbowed out from his own constituency.

He said that with both seats under Danial going to Ahsan Iqbal’s lobby, Danial's seat itself was only a matter of next elections. He also added that if Ahmad had contested elections and had won, he would have become the local bodies and community development minister.

Danial, talking to The Express Tribune, said that giving a ticket to anyone other than Awais Qasim would be an unwise decision as in that case, the PML-N would likely lose this seat. He added that Awais Qasim brings with him thirty thousand votes.

The PML-N leader also said that those votes clubbed with PML-N votes, would be a winning combination and for his seats too, it was advantageous, as he would get the party vote. When asked about the change of plan on the provincial seat, he said that he too has heard of these rumors, but does not know anything first hand.

Asked if his request to seek a wavier in applying for the party post the deadline was accepted, Danial replied that since he had submitted his papers and his interview had taken place, it means his request has been entertained.

It is pertinent to mention here that Awais Qasim had contested the 2018 elections from a ticket by PTI and had lost to an independent candidate, only then to join PML-N, after the winning candidate, Syed Saeedul Hasan Shah joined PTI.