Hashmi challenges Qureshi to contest Multan by-polls against him
Earlier, PTI announced its decision to boycott by-polls from NA-149
MULTAN:
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) president Javed Hashmi on Monday challenged PTI vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi to contest by-polls from Multan-III, NA 150 constituency.
The statement by Hashmi came a few hours after PTI announced its decision to boycott by-elections in NA-149 Multan-II, the seat vacated by Hashmi after he resigned from the National Assembly. By-polls in the constituency are scheduled for October 16.
Earlier in the day, Qureshi hinted at collusion between Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Hashmi when it came to the by-polls in Multan. After resigning, Hashmi announced that he would contest elections as an independent candidate.
“There is no official nomination by PML-N yet. The party [PML-N] should nominate someone and if the ballot paper doesn’t have the party symbol then we can assume that back-door negotiations have been taking place,” Qureshi claimed.
In response, Hashmi, while talking to media representatives in Multan, said, “Shah Mehmood Qureshi should resign from his seat in the National Assembly and contest elections against me.”
“I never considered Shah Mehmood Qureshi as my rival,” the PTI president said about his fellow PTI leader who also hails from Multan.
“I will submit my papers for the by-elections in NA-150 tomorrow,” he added.
“We can form an election commission of Qureshi’s choice in Multan to overlook by-polls if he fears rigging,” the PTI president, who had a recent fallout with party chairman Imran Khan, added.
Despite the fallout, Hashmi still maintains the position of party president.
However, earlier today, Qureshi responded to Hashmi’s insistence that he is still the president of the party by asking him to join other PTI leaders on their container and ask PTI workers whether they recognise him as their president or not.
Hashmi’s resignation from his NA seat and his suggestion to Qureshi to resign from his seat as well, follow the PTI’s decision to resign from the assembly as part of their campaign to ouster the incumbent Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government. However, Hashmi is the only PTI lawmaker whose resignation has been accepted by the NA speaker.
Qureshi and Hashmi both contested elections from the PTI seat during the general elections in May 2013. Qureshi was elected a Minister of the National Assembly from NA-150 while Hashmi was voted into the assembly through NA-149 -- both constituencies in Multan.
Qureshi, as a member of the Pakistan Peoples Party was defeated in the 1997 general elections by Javed Hashmi, who belonged to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz then. However, he won subsequent elections to the National Assembly from Multan in 2002 and 2008. In the 2008 elections, Hashmi won a record three seats out of the four contested; he only lost out to Qureshi in his home city of Multan.
Fallout with party leadership
“Imran Khan is a simple man; he has been sent as a source to take the country forward but those with him are using him for their own means,” Hashmi said.
“Even Pakistan Awami Tehreek chief Dr Tahirul Qadri is being used,” he added, while expressing concern over who will guide the youth and take the country forward when both these leaders are being used.
“Yesterday the dharna went to Karachi, tomorrow it will go to Lahore and then Multan,” he said, adding, “I support this way and it is your (Imran’s) democratic right.”
“If you adopted these ways, I would have walked besides you,” Hashmi said in a direct reference to Imran Khan.
Terming the PTI chairman as his younger brother, Hashmi claimed that the nation will not forgive those who are “using” him.
“The economy has been destroyed because of the sit-ins,” Hashmi said, adding that Imran had assured me that he will not launch a civil disobedience campaign but went ahead and did it.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) president Javed Hashmi on Monday challenged PTI vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi to contest by-polls from Multan-III, NA 150 constituency.
The statement by Hashmi came a few hours after PTI announced its decision to boycott by-elections in NA-149 Multan-II, the seat vacated by Hashmi after he resigned from the National Assembly. By-polls in the constituency are scheduled for October 16.
Earlier in the day, Qureshi hinted at collusion between Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Hashmi when it came to the by-polls in Multan. After resigning, Hashmi announced that he would contest elections as an independent candidate.
“There is no official nomination by PML-N yet. The party [PML-N] should nominate someone and if the ballot paper doesn’t have the party symbol then we can assume that back-door negotiations have been taking place,” Qureshi claimed.
In response, Hashmi, while talking to media representatives in Multan, said, “Shah Mehmood Qureshi should resign from his seat in the National Assembly and contest elections against me.”
“I never considered Shah Mehmood Qureshi as my rival,” the PTI president said about his fellow PTI leader who also hails from Multan.
“I will submit my papers for the by-elections in NA-150 tomorrow,” he added.
“We can form an election commission of Qureshi’s choice in Multan to overlook by-polls if he fears rigging,” the PTI president, who had a recent fallout with party chairman Imran Khan, added.
Despite the fallout, Hashmi still maintains the position of party president.
However, earlier today, Qureshi responded to Hashmi’s insistence that he is still the president of the party by asking him to join other PTI leaders on their container and ask PTI workers whether they recognise him as their president or not.
Hashmi’s resignation from his NA seat and his suggestion to Qureshi to resign from his seat as well, follow the PTI’s decision to resign from the assembly as part of their campaign to ouster the incumbent Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government. However, Hashmi is the only PTI lawmaker whose resignation has been accepted by the NA speaker.
Qureshi and Hashmi both contested elections from the PTI seat during the general elections in May 2013. Qureshi was elected a Minister of the National Assembly from NA-150 while Hashmi was voted into the assembly through NA-149 -- both constituencies in Multan.
Qureshi, as a member of the Pakistan Peoples Party was defeated in the 1997 general elections by Javed Hashmi, who belonged to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz then. However, he won subsequent elections to the National Assembly from Multan in 2002 and 2008. In the 2008 elections, Hashmi won a record three seats out of the four contested; he only lost out to Qureshi in his home city of Multan.
Fallout with party leadership
“Imran Khan is a simple man; he has been sent as a source to take the country forward but those with him are using him for their own means,” Hashmi said.
“Even Pakistan Awami Tehreek chief Dr Tahirul Qadri is being used,” he added, while expressing concern over who will guide the youth and take the country forward when both these leaders are being used.
“Yesterday the dharna went to Karachi, tomorrow it will go to Lahore and then Multan,” he said, adding, “I support this way and it is your (Imran’s) democratic right.”
“If you adopted these ways, I would have walked besides you,” Hashmi said in a direct reference to Imran Khan.
Terming the PTI chairman as his younger brother, Hashmi claimed that the nation will not forgive those who are “using” him.
“The economy has been destroyed because of the sit-ins,” Hashmi said, adding that Imran had assured me that he will not launch a civil disobedience campaign but went ahead and did it.