RAWALPINDI: Due to confusion over distribution of tickets by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), the party candidates have failed to start their election campaign in the city and cantonment areas.

In the city areas, PTI former MPA Rashid Hafeez has started his campaign but in other constituencies the candidates are waiting for the final decision of the party’s parliamentary board.

In two constituencies of the National Assembly in the city areas — NA-60 and NA-62 — the PTI is supporting AML President Sheikh Rashid Ahmed who has launched his campaign. However, the PTI workers are not active in his campaign.

Workers unwilling to join campaigns of Sheikh Rashid in two constituencies where PTI is supporting him

In the 2013 elections, the PTI candidates had started their election campaigns two months before the polls. This was because there was no division within the party and also Imran Khan was contesting for one of the NA seats of Rawalpindi.

But this time, the situation is different and the party’s old workers are confused which candidate to support as the party has not allotted tickets in many constituencies.

“The candidates are not spending money on the election campaign as they are not sure about their nomination,” said a senior PTI leader.

He said party workers were mostly not in favour of Sheikh Rashid as he managed to get a ticket for Chaudhry Adnan who is a close aide to him and joined the party recently. “Due to this, the supporters of former MPA Arif Abbasi have refused to run the campaign of Sheikh Rashid in some union councils,” he said.

On the other hand, he said, supporters of former MPA Shehryar Riaz in Dhoke Ratta were not willing to run the campaign for Ijaz Khan Jazi as the party had changed the constituency of Mr Riaz to cantonment areas.

“There is no central office of the party in the city areas for the election campaign as it was the case in 2013. The PTI workers are not in contact with Sheikh Rashid as he does not know old party workers in the city areas.”

He said from Shamsabad, two PTI union council chairmen were planning to contest the election on Tehreek-i-Laibbaik Pakistan (TLP) tickets and they had also held meetings with TLP chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi.

PTI former MPA Arif Abbasi told Dawn that the party had made a wrong decision to support Sheikh Rashid in two constituencies as he was not in contact with the residents of NA-60 (previously NA-56). He said Mr Rashid never visited the constituency since the 2002 elections when he lost to Hanif Abbasi.

He said the case related to the party ticket in his constituency was pending with parliamentary board but Sheikh Rashid had started his campaign which was very disturbing for the old party workers.

PTI former MPA Asif Mehmood said there was confusion over the distribution of party tickets and many people were waiting for the announcement to start their campaigns.

PTI local leader retired Col Ajmal Sabir Raja said the candidates were running their campaigns but not aggressively as there was confusion on allocation of tickets.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2018