JI is not fielding candidates in any
of them.
The JI left four wards of Chaklala Cantonment and two of Murree Cantonment Board after it reportedly ‘fell short of candidates.’
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) are in the race to persuade local JI leaders to support their candidates.
Unlike Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), which has forged an alliance with the JI in two wards of Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB), the rest of the parties have failed in their attempts thus far.
The JI will support the PAT candidate in ward 1, and in return, PAT will support its candidate on RCB ward No 2.
“It’s a give-and-take deal. We would support those who support us, otherwise no support and no alliance, even with the PTI,” JI District Ameer Shamsur Rahman Swati told The Express Tribune.
The PTI is hopeful that the JI would support its candidates in four wards including wards 4, 5, 9 and 10 in Chaklala, and two wards in Murree Cantonment Board.
“We share the same stance on issues, have a strong alliance with JI in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and hopefully, we might reach an alliance on NA-246 Karachi, which is why the JI would support us,” said Zahid Kazmi, PTI president for north Punjab.
Office bearers of both the parties have confirmed that several meetings have been held between the parties, but so far no alliance could be reached.
Kazmi said that if they supported their candidates on vacant wards, the PTI would extend the same favour in the upcoming local government elections.
The PTI local chapter is trying to woo JI voters after it left the wards vacant in Murree and Chaklala cantonments.
At ward No 2, Murree Cantonment, PTI candidate Khalid Malik, the sole candidate who filed nomination paper from the ward, was elected unopposed.
Meanwhile, PPP’s district leader Malik Amir Fida Paracha, however, denied any meeting with the JI. “We are open to making an alliance with any party. But so far neither we contacted any party no we are contacted for coalition,” he said.
The PML-N is also trying its best to convince the JI for supporting its candidates at the vacant wards.
“This is politics. If they support us we can also extend JI proper support at various areas and situations like reaching an alliance in local government elections,” said Shakeel Awan, PML-N leader.
On the other hand, there is almost no possibility of PAT and PTI coming together to form an alliance.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 12th, 2015.
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