Supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf (PTI) wave national and party flags during a rally in Lahore March 23, 2013. PHOTO: REUTERS
The PTI on Monday announced its candidates for 13 National Assembly and 25 provincial assembly seats. However, in a strange twist, the party’s Lahore president, Abdul Aleem Khan, was not given a ticket.
The final list saw several changes compared to the tentative list that was released by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf’s central media office earlier during the month. The status of five NA candidates and 11 provincial candidates has changed.
According to a senior office-bearer within the party, an internal revolt was averted only because two men favoured by Aleem were awarded tickets.
Aleem had earlier recommended three candidates for national and provincial assembly seats from each constituency in Lahore. Among them were Shoaib Siddiqui, Nazeer Chohan, Nasrullah Mughal, Mian Javed Ali, Irshad Dogar, Zulqarnain Taj, Farrukh Javed Moon, Abdul Rasheed Bhatti, Jamil Asghar Bhatti and Sardar Kamil Umer.
Out of these, PTI’s central parliamentary board accommodated two of the recommended men – Nasrullah Mughal and Shoaib Siddiqui – for the NA and another for the provincial level.
The city wing’s general secretary, Abdul Rasheed Bhatti, had already left the party to join the PPP after being denied a ticket. Earlier, Aleem received Imran Khan’s party ticket from Faraz Chaudhry.
In further changes, three candidates who were finalised for NA tickets earlier, including Miraj Abbas Khokhar and Mian Mehmoodul Rashid, were demoted to provincial tickets, owing to strong reservations expressed by party leadership during the board’s review meetings chaired by party chief Imran Khan.
In the earlier list, the candidates for 13 NA constituencies were Hamid Zaman in NA-118, Muhammad Madni in NA-119, Dr Yasmin Rashid in NA-120, Barrister Hammad Azhar in NA-121, Imran Khan in NA-122, Mian Hamid Miraj in NA-123, Waled Iqbal in NA-124, Hamid Khan in NA-125, Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed in NA-126, Abdul Aleem Khan in NA-127, Zahir Abbas Khokhar in NA-128, Chaudhary Mansha Sindhu in NA-129 and Talib Sindhu in NA-130.
The final list revealed that five NA candidates had been dropped, including Hamid Miraj, Mehmood-ur-Rasheed, Abdul Aleem Khan, Zahir Abbas Khokhar and Chaudhary Mansha Sindhu, to accommodate new faces like Atif Chaudhary in NA-123, Shafqat Mehmood in NA-126, Nasrullah Mughal in NA127, Haji Karamat Khokhar in NA-128. NA-129 was declared open for candidates.
In the 25 provincial constituencies, 11 candidates were changed. Amongst these, Mazhar Iqbal Bhalli replaced Chaudhary Asghar Gujjar in PP-139, Irshad Khan replaced Atif Chaudhry in PP-139, Mian Hamid Miraj replaced Muhammad Yamin Tipo PP-144, Tariq Hameed replaced Mian Iftikhar in PP-145, Shoaib Siddiqui replaced Abdul Aleem Khan in PP-147, Mehar Wajid Azeem replaced Sheikh Imtiaz Mehmood in PP-150, and Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed replaced Haji Fayyaz in PP-151.
In a bizarre turn of events at the ceremony, male party workers beat up a female worker after she aggressively demanded to be led to Aleem Khan. All the while, she claimed she did not work for the PTI, but for Aleem. No further details are available yet.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 17th, 2013.
COMMENTS (18)
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1732240636-0/WhatsApp-Image-2024-11-21-at-19-54-13-(1)1732240636-0-270x192.webp "witnesses narrate macabre details")
Great. I want IK to win this election.
PTI has lost the elections. PML(N) is going to clean sweep. Sorry for PTI fans.
These unknown people are not capable of winning local council election. They are so clean and fresh that they will keep Lahore clean from PTI's presence.
well ET now we want proof that a female worker was beaten up or its false!
All the PTI news published on ET, I look for Ch Allah Daad's comment. He talks and thinks like Nawaz Sharif. May be he is Nawaz Sharif ... :D
@ Ch. Allah Daad "No one heard about them before" is why they are much more likely to be honest than the known crooks we have all heard of before. Simple logic. Does it make any sense to you? Good afterNOON.
@Faraz- Interesting but very true point brought up by you. In most cases yes the MAsjid committee also has internal rifts and there are people who would go to shallow levels even when responsible for contributing to such cause.
@Ch Allah Daad - This is called fresh blood , you cant get new / clean individuals or experienced well known politicians at the same time. People blame Imran khan for recruiting Qureshi , hashmi etc , they need some electables to win . I am praying for PTI to win to bring on whatever level of change they can bring. They would still need time.
@Faraz: More then 100% agree with you.
@Ch. Allah Daad: Thats the point... if you'd heard of them you'd be complaining about that!
If PTI was sincere in promoting the young, lesser-known, but dynamic youth into a leadership role, it should have persuaded its electable high profile celebrities to withdraw from their constituency seats in favour of the former. The latter should have taken the risk of contesting unsafe seats -- with the support of enthusiastic youth it was even likely that they could have won such seats. By giving 80% of the tickets to candidates against opposition heavy weights, PTI will be accused of tokenism and of ensuring that the dubious electables -- who have little stake in the party's paradigm of "Change". As I see it, the PTI would at best get low double digit seats in NA, at best, and its tsunami will peter into a low tide.
Who are these people? Have they come from Mars? No one heard about them before.
Khan did whatever humanly possible in the given time. Believe me we would even struggle to run Masjid committee democratically.
Male party workers beat up a single woman? Is this the naya Pakistan people are clamouring for? Disgusting immature animals shouldn't be involved in politics.
I think...It is mandatory for EXPRESS TRIBUNE to publish at one news a day about PTI's internal rift...and also someone leaving PTI.....Whether it is TRUE or NOT...
Why is it so..
What kind of information or reporting the last paragraph was..why it is so much evident from each news ET gives for PTI that three are different standards for reporting news regarding Noon and PTI..
Now what else do you people want from PTI....?They are doing whatever they can to bring up clean leadership...the white elephants will still be there but guys do understand that democracy in our country is not mature yet so give it a time and give PTI chance...Have faith,they can pull things up