KOHAT: Former governor retired Lt-Gen Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah has broken his silenceover the controversy surrounding denial of ticket to him by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, saying that complete chaos marred the distribution of the tickets.

Addressing a news conference at the Kohat Press Club here on Monday, he said he had been offered NA-32 ticket, but he also wanted provincial assembly ticket, dispelling the impression he was an arrogant person.

He elaborated that he could not accept NA ticket when only a few weeks were left and it was impossible for him to cover the constituency.

Therefore, he was left with only option to contest polls to the PA seat for which he had already worked hard.

Complains about not being given PA ticket

He said there were many instances in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab where candidates were awarded two to three tickets.

He said he had served at many prestigious positions and his only goal now was to use his experiences for betterment of people.

Gen Iftikhar said he had also been offered a Senate seat by PTI chief Imran Khan three years ago, but he refused.

He said 20 to 30 people came to him in a jirga to accept the NA-32 ticket and leave the provincial assembly seat but he asked them about their interest in the constituency and made it clear that it was his choice to contest one seat or both at a time.

He said he had not quit PTI, but would contest polls as an independent and make a decision if the party offered him any responsibility in the assembly if he won the seat.

He said this would certainly harm the party’s interest in the elections where two candidates from one party would contest each other.

The former governor said whether to join the party as MPA or not would be decided after seeing the response of the party’s high command.

He said he had been member of the party’s disciplinary committee and many cases became before him where candidates had fought elections as independents but wanted to join party after winning and they were accepted.

To a query that why did he remain silent over alleged corruption in the party for five years, he said he had joined the party just two years back and could not judge who was corrupt and who was honest without remaining and developing intimacy with them.

He disclosed that the Kohat panel tasked with allotting tickets was changed again and again, and at last, it allotted tickets to old faces, who were tried in 2013 elections.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2018