ISLAMABAD, Aug 6: The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N continues to face friction from within its local leadership regarding the selection of candidate for the NA-48 by-elections, even after Hamza Shahbaz tried to take everybody on board in favour of Advocate Ashraf Gujjar.

This division within the party’s Islamabad chapter is favouring the rival Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf candidate Asad Umar, who was otherwise expected to face a tough competition from the PML-N nominee because the latter was already in power and had the state machinery at its disposal.

The Sharif’s scion and Member National Assembly Hamza Shahbaz Sharif has been in the city for the past couple of days trying to muster support for Advocate Gujjar.

Mr Gujjar had been nominated to reclaim the National Assembly seat which had been won by PTI’s Makhdoom Javed Hashmi in the May 11 general elections after defeating PML-N’s Anjum Aqeel with a margin of over 20,000 votes.

However, Mr Hashmi, who had also won his ancestral seat in Multan, decided to vacate the NA-48 seat.

The younger Sharif, according to party sources, had two back-to-back meetings on Monday and Tuesday at the Punjab House, pursuing Anjum Aqeel and others who were not happy with Mr Gujjar’s selection as party candidate.

During the meetings, Mr Hamza had asked Mr Aqeel to support Mr Gujjar, but the former was reluctant to do so.

A PML-N office bearer, on the condition of anonymity, told Dawn that Mr Aqeel was still hoping against hope that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would restore his candidacy so that he could reclaim the party’s support.

In his petition with the ECP, Mr Anjum had maintained that his counsel had withdrawn his nomination papers without consent. Hence he requested the ECP to restore his candidacy. The election commission will take up the petition on August 12.

According to the Representation of Peoples’ Act-1976, once withdrawn, nomination papers of a candidate cannot be recalled under any circumstance. The ROPA’s section 16 (2) is quite clear on this.

The party source said regardless of the result in the by-elections, Mr Gujjar was going to don the party colours in the August 22 by-elections in NA-48, which covers the urban areas of the capital.

The confusion regarding the PML-N candidate came to fore when the party leadership decided to withdraw Hanif Abbasi’s ticket at the eleventh hour.

It had been learnt that there were strong reservations within the party over the award of ticket to Mr Abbasi who was accused in the ephedrine case.

Hanif Abbasi had contested the May 11 general elections from NA-56, Rawalpindi, but had been defeated by PTI Chairman Imran Khan.

By the time the party decided to change its candidate, Mr Aqeel, as per the party’s directions, had already withdrawn his nomination papers.

When he came to know that Mr Abbasi would not be contesting the elections, Mr Aqeel reclaimed his right over the ticket. However, since he had withdrawn his nomination papers, the ticket went to Mr Gujjar.

When asked, the PML-N leader said Mr Hamza was trying to convince Mr Aqeel to support Advocate Gujjar, but the former was insisting that he had been MNA from the constituency before and should be given a chance to represent the party from Islamabad.

Anjum Aqeel had been elected MNA from NA-48 in the 2008 elections, and was hoping that, after his defeat in the general elections 2013, he would be given a second chance.

Now, all his hopes depend on the ECP’s decision. According to a PML-N source, it was very unlikely that the commission would decide in favour of Mr Aqeel, but in case it did, he (Aqeel) would not relinquish his right to contest the by-election.

During the meetings with Mr Hamza, Mr Aqeel argued that the ticket was his right once Mr Abbasi withdrew.

On the other hand, Advocate Gujjar, while talking to Dawn, said by all accounts he was the party’s candidate in NA-48, and disapproved of Mr Aqeel’s argument.

Without naming anyone, Mr Gujjar said elements in the party were busy creating confusion but on his end, everything was clear and he was going ahead with his campaign.

Mr Aqeel was not available for his comments.