ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Friday awarded tickets for three National Assembly seats in Islamabad and apparently ‘promoting hereditary politics’ ignored those who were said to be more capable of winning.

According to a list, the candidates who received party tickets are: Raja Imran Ashraf, brother of National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf for NA-45 (Islamabad I); Sibtul Haider Bukhari, brother of PPP Secretary General Nayyar Hussain Bukhari for NA-47 (Islamabad-II) and Chaudhry Asad Pervaiz for NA-48 (Islamabad-III).

According to a PPP leader, 20 candidates had filed nomination papers in the three constituencies, hoping that the party would award them tickets. “Some of the ignored candidates were more capable to win,” he told Dawn on conditioning anonymity.

There are concerns over the nomination of Raja Imran Ashraf from Islamabad. Many workers even pointed out that Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, his brother and a son had already filed nominations from Gujar Khan; therefore, the entry of Raja Imran in the federal capital would discourage local PPP workers.

Sources in the PPP said there was severe resentment in the party ranks about fielding of “old faces and relatives of senior leaders” unlike other parties whose frontline leaders contested elections in Islamabad.

They added that PPP Secretary General Nayyar Bukhari and Punjab President Raja Pervaiz Ashraf also played a key role in picking party candidates in the federal capital.

Interestingly, no interview was conducted which indicated that the decision about the candidates had been made somewhere else.

When contacted, a senior PPP leader said many voters were concerned about the selection of candidates in NA-46 and NA-47 and decided not to support Raja Imran Ashraf and Sibtul Haider.

There are also reports about disagreement between PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and his father Asif Ali Zardari on the award of tickets to candidates in the capital.

According to sources, the PPP chief wanted some “new, young and non-controversial faces to contest elections from Islamabad, but Mr Zardari was backing already-tested candidates”.

In NA-46, four PPP workers, Raja Imran Ashraf, Adnan Shah, president of People’s Youth Organisation (PYO) Islamabad, Nighat Batool, senior vice president women wing Islamabad, and Samana Malaika Raza, human rights cell’s secretary general, had filed nominations.

Samana Malaika Raza is also on the PPP’s list of candidates for women’s reserved seats and also filed her nomination papers from NA-46. She hails from Jhangi Syedan and has a considerable standing among locals, including in Shah Allah Ditta and the urban sectors of Islamabad. Being daughter of the soil and a member of a respectful family, Samana could have an edge to get support from her Biradri (clan). She is an educated woman and has served in the United Nations.

In NA-48, which includes Rawat, Sihala, Ghori Town, Banigala, Alipur, Margalla Town and Sohan near Faizabad, there are five PPP nominations: Chaudhary Asad Pervaiz, Umar Awan, Aftab Shah, Zeeshan Naseeb and Khaqan Khawaja. Sources said Khaqan Khawaja could be more suitable candidate of the PPP from NA-48.

Past results 2018

NA-46 (formerly NA-54): In this constituency PTI leader Asad Umar became laurel by securing 56,945 votes, while Anjum Aqeel of PML-N got 32,991 votes and Raja Imran Ashraf stood on fifth position with only 4,019 votes.

NA-47 (formerly NA-53): In this constituency PTI founder Imran Khan was among those in the run in 2018 polls and won the seat by with 92,891 votes followed by PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi who bagged 44,314 votes while PPP candidate Sibtul Haider Bukhari received 17,970 votes.

As Imran Khan had also won from other constituencies, he vacated this seat and in the by-elections PTI retained it as its candidate Ali Nawaz Awan won with 50,943 votes and Raja Waqas Mumtaz of PML-N received 32,313 votes.

NA-48 (formerly NA-52): This seat was won by PTI candidate Khurram Shahzad Nawaz with 64,690 votes. PPP candidate Afzal Khokhar got 34,072 votes and PML-N leader Tariq Fazal Chaudhry stood third with 33.519 votes.

Past results 2013

NA-46 (formerly NA-48): Makhdoom Javed Hashmi won this seat on PTI’s ticket with 73,692 votes while PML-N candidate Anjum Aqeel Khan secured 48,073. As Mr Hashmi vacated the seat, Asad Umar contested by-election and grabbed the seat with 48,073 votes while PML-N candidate Ashraf Gujjar received 41,186 votes and Faisal Sakhi Butt of PPP got 3943 votes. NA-47 (formerly NA-49): Tariq Fazal Chaudhry of PML-N had won the seat by securing 94,106 votes. PTI candidate Chaudhry Ilyas Meharban got 57,383 votes while Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, who had contested from the PPP platform, received 44,984 votes.

Published in Dawn, January 13th, 2024