NA-122 by-poll: PML-Q, PAT announce support for PTI

PAT withdraws its candidate for PP-147

LAHORE: The Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid on Tuesday announced support for the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) in the upcoming by-poll in NA-122 and PP-147.

The PAT also withdrew its candidate, Ishtiaq Ahmad, for the PP-147 by-poll in favour of PTI’s candidate Shoaib Siddiqui.

The PTI and the PAT also announced a four-point declaration, called the Model Town Declaration, during a press conference at the PAT Secretariat. The declaration included agreement on formation of a six-member committee for formulation of a seat-adjustment mechanism for the next general election. Other points of the declaration were agreement on cooperation during the upcoming local government elections in the province and work to ensure justice for the PAT workers killed during shooting during its rally in Model Town in 2014.

PTI Punjab organiser Chaudhry Sarwar thanked the PAT leadership and said that he had known Dr Tahirul Qadri for a long time. He said the two parties had worked together during the long march and sit-in in Islamabad in 2014. PAT general secretary Khurram Nawaz Gandapur condemned the killing of a PTI candidate for union council elections. He said both parties were working for similar agendas and hoped that their cooperation would continue after the by-poll.

The PML-Q announced support for PTI candidates Abdul Aleem Khan (NA-122) and Shoaib Siddiqi (PP-147) during a visit by its delegation to the PTI Central Secretariat. The delegation was led by its Punjab general secretary Chaudhry Zaheeruddin Khan.

Zaheeruddin said his party’s workers would join the PTI in the election campaign.

PML-Q Punjab senior vice-president Mian Abdul Sattar, and Lahore office-bearers Rana Riaz, Sajjad Baloch and Arshad Bokhari were also present at the occasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 7^th, 2015.