RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) decision not to accommodate two former MPAs and instead give preference to newcomers has led to resentment among local party leaders and workers.

Former MPAs Arif Abbasi and Ijaz Khan Jazi were not given tickets. Mr Abbasi is also a former district president of PTI, while Mr Jazi is the party’s city president.

A senior party leader told Dawn that a close friend of Awami Muslim League President Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and PTI leader Imran Khan played a role in “kicking out” the two former MPAs, who were the first members of the Punjab Assembly from Rawalpindi city.

Local PTI workers, leaders unhappy with party decision on party tickets

He said local leaders had told the party leadership to change their decision, warning that otherwise they would launch a campaign.

He said party workers and local leaders will wait two days before deciding whether to contest the elections as independents or help the PML-N win in the area.

“The PTI is interested in launching its former MPA Arif Abbasi in the elections, but Sheikh Rashid played a role in getting a decision in favour of Chaudhry Adnan, a close aide and supporter of his,” he said.

Former MPA Shehryar Riaz, who joined the party just a month ago, received a party ticket.

“A London-based party leader helped him get the ticket,” said the party leader.

He said Mr Jazi had done a lot for the party during the sit-in in front of Parliament House, and was the only MPA who remained in touch with workers in the last five years.

“Shehryar Riaz is the only local PML-N leader who joined the PTI, despite the efforts of the PTI leaders to bring in more from the PML-N. Shehryar Riaz did not have an active role in the PML-N in the last five years,” he said.

When contacted, Mr Abbasi said he had submitted his nomination papers, and the party should change its mind out of respect for his loyalty in the past.

“I always worked to promote Imran Khan’s agenda, and will do the same in the coming days,” he said.

However, he said, party workers had forced him to speak to the leadership, as the decision to give a ticket to Mr Adnan was not right.

“I will not oppose the decision, but ticket should be given on merit,” he said.

Mr Jazi told Dawn the party would likely change its mind within a few days, as Imran Khan was not aware of the decision.

“I expected insaf from the party, as people living in London cannot make decisions because they do not know the ground realities,” he added.

The former MPA said party workers had tried to force him to bring out a rally against the move, but he stopped because the party would decide on the tickets soon.

Mr Riaz said the party gave him a ticket and he would bring all the old party workers into confidence, as he could not work without their help.

“Imran Khan will accommodate Ijaz Khan Jazi, but the party will not change its mind and revise the decision,” he said.

A senior AML leader said the PTI workers’ campaign against Sheikh Rashid was wrong, because he had not forced the PTI to give tickets to his party workers.

“This is PTI’s internal politics, and AML and Sheikh Rashid had nothing to do with it,” he said, adding: “If Sheikh Rashid wanted to he would have forced Imran Khan to open the provincial assembly constituency for his nephew Sheikh Rashid Shafique, but he did not.”

Award of ticket to Ghulam Sarwar Khan sparks protest

Party workers and a former PTI candidate for NA-59 (previously NA-52) held a sit-in outside Imran Khan’s Banigala residence on Saturday to protest the party’s decision to award a party ticket to Ghulam Sarwar Khan.

Dozens of workers led by former PTI candidate retired Lt Col Ajmal Raza protested for over four hours, during which they shouted slogans and waved banners and placards against Jehangir Tareen and the local party leadership for what they believed was the wrongful distribution of party tickets.

The sit-in ended after Mr Raza met with Mr Khan, who directed PTI Punjab north President Amir Kiani to resolve the problems facing workers. Mr Raza lost the 2013 election to former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.

A senior party leader told Dawn that Mr Raza, known as the arch-rival of Chaudhry Nisar, will contest elections from two seats in Taxila and Rawalpindi.

He said the party had carried out a survey and found that party workers were in favour of Ghulam Sarwar Khan, which Imran Khan also told Mr Raza.

Speaking to Dawn, Mr Raza said the survey conducted in his constituency was fake and he had informed the party leader of this. He said the party workers were with him and had come to Banigala to express their decision.

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2018