Pre-election deal: Nawab of Bahawalpur goes into seat adjustment with PTI
Imran says he will not take oath from President Zardari if victorious.
PTI chief Imran Khan and Nawab of Bahawalpur Salahuddin Abbasi address a press conference in Islamabad. PHOTO: ONLINE
ISLAMABAD:
The titular nawab of Bahawalpur, Salahuddin Abbasi, put his weight behind Pakistan Tehreek Insaaf (PTI) on Tuesday, when the two parties announced finalisation of a seat adjustment deal for the upcoming elections.
The nawab, who heads the Bahawalpur Awami National Party (BANP), will strengthen the chances of the PTI in southern Punjab, which is now likely to give a stiff challenge to other mainstream parties in Bahawalpur.
Speaking to the media at the announcement of the agreement, PTI chief Imran Khan said that both parties had agreed to a seat adjustment formula because they were opposed to the status quo.
Abbasi said that Bahawalpur had always given sacrifices for Pakistan but had been deprived of its rights, which is why his party had a single point agenda - the restoration of the state of Bahawalpur. “We have forged an alliance with PTI as we share each other’s ideology,” said Abbasi.
Speaking about the issue of new provinces, the PTI chairman said “in principal, we believe that small federating units should be formed. However, we want to resolve the matter properly and not by taking it up as an election slogan.”
On the much talked about alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Imran said that a seat-adjustment formula was yet to be finalised. “The JI leadership has been conveyed that they would have to either choose PTI or Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for a seat adjustment arrangement,” added Imran.
The PTI chief said that if elected to power, he would not take oath from incumbent President Asif Ali Zardari, saying that the president “is a creation of the NRO, therefore the constitution bars me from taking an oath from an unconstitutional President,” said Imran.
Predicting a tough outcome on May 11, the PTI chief said that the passionate workers of his party would win over their opponents in the forthcoming elections, warning that ‘status quo forces’ were claiming that the tsunami was dying down with the retirement of General (retd) Pasha.
“The PTI’s March 23 mammoth gathering was bigger than ever before and a super tsunami would now be held in Mingora, followed by other parts of the country,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 27th, 2013.
The titular nawab of Bahawalpur, Salahuddin Abbasi, put his weight behind Pakistan Tehreek Insaaf (PTI) on Tuesday, when the two parties announced finalisation of a seat adjustment deal for the upcoming elections.
The nawab, who heads the Bahawalpur Awami National Party (BANP), will strengthen the chances of the PTI in southern Punjab, which is now likely to give a stiff challenge to other mainstream parties in Bahawalpur.
Speaking to the media at the announcement of the agreement, PTI chief Imran Khan said that both parties had agreed to a seat adjustment formula because they were opposed to the status quo.
Abbasi said that Bahawalpur had always given sacrifices for Pakistan but had been deprived of its rights, which is why his party had a single point agenda - the restoration of the state of Bahawalpur. “We have forged an alliance with PTI as we share each other’s ideology,” said Abbasi.
Speaking about the issue of new provinces, the PTI chairman said “in principal, we believe that small federating units should be formed. However, we want to resolve the matter properly and not by taking it up as an election slogan.”
On the much talked about alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Imran said that a seat-adjustment formula was yet to be finalised. “The JI leadership has been conveyed that they would have to either choose PTI or Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for a seat adjustment arrangement,” added Imran.
The PTI chief said that if elected to power, he would not take oath from incumbent President Asif Ali Zardari, saying that the president “is a creation of the NRO, therefore the constitution bars me from taking an oath from an unconstitutional President,” said Imran.
Predicting a tough outcome on May 11, the PTI chief said that the passionate workers of his party would win over their opponents in the forthcoming elections, warning that ‘status quo forces’ were claiming that the tsunami was dying down with the retirement of General (retd) Pasha.
“The PTI’s March 23 mammoth gathering was bigger than ever before and a super tsunami would now be held in Mingora, followed by other parts of the country,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 27th, 2013.