Local government polls: PTI forms committees to monitor campaigns

Committees will be allowed to make seat adjustments with other groups.

LAHORE:

PTI Secretary General Jehangir Khan Tareen, Punjab President Ejaz Chaudhary and General Secretary Yasmin Rashid on Friday held a meeting to review preparations for the local government elections with office bearers from Mianwali, Sheikhupura, Khushab, Sargodha and Nankana.

They discussed PTI’s election strategy after the Lahore High Court ordered party-based local government elections.

The PTI leaders decided that no seat be left uncontested.

Tareen said the strength of the PTI lay in grass-roots support. He said the party had not pre-selected candidates for local government elections. He said PTI leaders had been given free reign to contest.

Chaudhary said the PTI had formed committees at district and tehsil levels to monitor elections campaigns.

He said the committees were allowed to make seat adjustments with other groups.

New member

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) PP-151 President Waheed Ahmed Malik on Saturday announced his decision to join Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).

Malik met PTI’s Mian Mehmoodur Rashid and Shafqat Mehmood and announced his desire to join the party. He was joined by several supporters.

Rashid welcome the newcomers. He said the PTI had strong chances of winning the upcoming local government elections.

He said people were joining the PTI because they knew the PML-N had failed to deliver its election promises.

Iqbal remembered

Insaf Students Federation (ISF) on Saturday arranged a programme to pay tribute to Allama Muhammad Iqbal on his 136 birthday.

Iqbal’s grandson and senior PTI leader Waleed Iqbal was the chief guest at the ceremony.

Waleed Iqbal said, “It is tragic that Pakistan’s leaders did not follow Iqbal’s teachings and today country is plagued with multiple issues.”

He said Imran Khan was the only politician who understood Iqbal’s vision.

He also said said Khan was the only politician who could bring country out of crisis.

A PTI delegation led by Tareen, Chaudhary, Rashid and Lahore President Aleem Khan also laid wreaths on the mausoleum of Allama Iqbal to mark his 136th birth anniversary. They also offered fateha prayers.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2013.