Grassroots representation: PTI in a quandary ahead of LG polls

Nawaz Chaudhry says lack of organisation made him desert party

LAHORE:

As the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) finishes issuing tickets to aspiring candidates across 230 of the city’s union councils in connection with the local government polls, Nawaz Chaudhry’s decision to withdraw from the race for chairmanship of UC-107 has left the party in a quandary.

Chaudhry had blamed city organiser Shafqat Mahmood and Leader of the Opposition in the Provincial Assembly Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed for the fiasco. “My withdrawal was voluntary,” he said. Chaudhry, who recently joined the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), said the PTI was devoid of organisation at the local level. He said this had compelled him to abandon the party. “I was a party activist and a staunch supporter of its ideology but the manner in which I was sidelined left me with no other alternative,” Chaudhry said.

With no panel contesting the six general seats for councillors in UC-107, he said the party was not serious about the polls. Who withdrew nomination papers first, the aspiring chairman or vice chairman Rana Asghar, remains a mystery. Chaudhry said there was little hope for the party in UC-107. “Our local MPA and MNA didn’t even recognise party candidates. How can they be expected to proactively address our issues?” he quipped. Chaudhry said he had withdrawn from the race after the aspiring vice chairman had bowed out of the contest and after coming to the conclusion that the PML-N’s Khwaja Ahmad Hassaan represented a better option for the people.

“Any party official and ticket-holder who backtracks at the last minute in violation party discipline automatically loses the right to level allegations,” Mehmood told The Express Tribune. He rejected the notion that due attention had not been paid to local-level nominations. Nominations for over 230 UCs have been finalised through consensus, Mehmood said.  He said apart from around 20 UCs in NA-122 tickets for which would be issued after the by-elections, the party had almost finished finalising candidates. Mahmood, who also heads the appellate tribunal tasked with handing candidature rejections, said most of the appeals had been decided.

Caught in the middle of the storm is Asghar who has also faced an internal inquiry committee probing the matter. Unlike Chaudhry, he remains affiliated with the PTI. Asghar said he was not able to move the LHC against the forced withdrawal of his papers as the chairman had voluntarily withdrawn his nomination.

They had submitted their papers together. Asghar also blames party leaders for sidelining the issue as he waits for a verdict from Bani Gala on the report.

The PTI’s discipline and action committee that had been tasked to probe the matter by Punjab organizer Chaudhry Sarwar has also submitted its report. Chaudhry Yaqoob, the head of the committee, confirmed that the report had been submitted to Sarwar earlier this week but refused to comment further. Mahmood also refused to comment in this regard saying it was an internal matter. Sarwar refused to comment on whether Mehmood and Rasheed had been found guilty of negligence by the inquiry. “It is an internal inquiry and its report a classified document,” he said.

Announcement soon: PTI to announce local govt candidates after NA-122 by-polls

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) will announce candidates slated to contest local government polls in union councils (UCs) in NA-122 following by-elections in the constituency.

Candidates vying for the chairman and vice chairman slots in over 230 UCs were announced by city organizer Shafqat Mahmood late on Saturday. Candidates who have been issued tickets by the party for the elections fall in constituencies that include NA-118, NA-119, NA-120, NA-121, NA-123, NA-124, NA-126, NA-127, NA-128, NA-129 and NA-130.

Mahmood told The Express Tribune that candidates for UCs in NA-122 would be announced after the by-polls. He said the PTI had been using a comprehensive process to vet nominations and decide appeals. Of the city’s 274 UCs, selection committees have unanimously selected candidates across 245, he said. Mahmood also dismissed allegations of irregularities in the process saying it allowed candidates to appeal decisions made with regard to every constituency.

The PTI has to issue over 2,100 tickets in the city in connection with the polls.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2015.