Is Ali Tareen afraid of losing Lodhran again?
Ali Tareen, son of PTI's disqualified Jahangir Tareen, in a video message last night said that he would not be contesting the upcoming polls.
The younger Tareen, has already been awarded a PTI ticket for Lodhran's NA-161 [formerly NA-154] seat — where he lost to PTI's Syed Iqbal Shah by over 25,000 votes in a by-poll in February this year.
In his video message, Tareen said that there "are many suitable candidates for PTI tickets" and that he believes that the ticket should go to a "diehard worker who invests their time and energy for the party".
Tareen cited his mandatory 10-day presence at Oxford each month as the reason for his withdrawal from candidacy as his 20-day absence from the 40-day election campaign would mean he will not be able to give the constituency the necessary time and attention.
While Ali is getting flak from party workers for his move, many of PTI's social media warriors are welcoming the decision and calling it a great move as it breaks away from Pakistan's traditional dynastic political culture.