MULTAN: Annoyed over the party’s policies on distribution of the tickets, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf city president Dr Khalid Khakwani has resigned from the slot and left the party.

In his resignation which was dispatched to party chairman Imran Khan here on Friday, Dr Khakwani said he was resigning from both party presidentship and membership due to injustice done with the workers and the policies of the party.

Mr Khakwani, who is contesting election on NA-155 as an independent candidate, told the media that injustice prevailed in the party. He said injustice was done with the workers while distributing the party tickets and he had decided to initiate struggle against it.

“Being an independent candidate I went to the masses and party workers in connection with my election campaign who asked me to first resign from the PTI,” he said. He said a large number of the PTI workers are with him.

The PTI awarded its ticket to its former MNA Malik Amir Dogar for NA-155 while Sheikh Tariq Rashid of the PML-N is contesting this urban constituency.

Dr Khakwani was going to join the Pakistan Peoples Party after the PTI announced that Mr Dogar would be its candidate and he was going to address a joint press conference with former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani but a day before it PTI vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi reached his residence and remained there till morning to convince him to not leave the party and the press conference was cancelled.

Mr Khakwani reportedly was promised to be accommodated by giving him the party ticket for provincial assembly seat but he was not given the ticket. Meanwhile he contacted Mr Gilani who announced that his party would support him even as an independent candidate while he also announced support for the PPP candidates for the provincial assembly in his constituency.

Besides Dr Khakwani, PTI district president Ijaz Janjua is also protesting against the party decisions.

He was among those denied tickets after which he announced that he would oppose the PTI candidates for NA-155 and provincial assembly seats of this constituency.

He is still in the party as the PTI vice chairman is learnt to have convinced him that he will be accommodated after the election.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2018