RAWALPINDI/TAXILA: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) Rawalpindi chapter on Monday approved its candidates for the Rawalpindi district and asked them to start their election campaign in their respective areas.

The JUI-F has formed an election board in each district across the country and asked them to recommend the names so the party will issue them tickets. In this regard, a meeting was held here with Dr Hafiz Ziaur Rehman in the chair which finalised the names.

However, the JUI-F Rawalpindi chapter is undecided about its candidates for one National Assembly and two Punjab Assembly seats and has sent the names of two candidates to the JUI-F Punjab chapter for a final decision.

In NA-51, the party has nominated Prof Zubair Abbasi and Raja Zia Bashir while for PP-7 Kallar Syedan the candidate will be Mufti Iqbal and for PP-17 the names of Hafiz Zubair Madani, Qari Kiramatur Rehman and Prof Zubair Abbasi have been finalised.

Haideri expresses doubts about holding of elections in February

According to JUI-F spokesman Hafiz Ziaullah Khan; Khalid Mubeen has been finalised for NA-52, Mohammad Basharat for NA-53, Malik Safeer Alam for NA-54, Mufti Umer Ali Haqqani for NA-55, Dr Hafiz Ziaur Rehman for NA-56and Mufti Musarat Iqbal for NA-57.

For Punjab Assembly’s PP-6, the candidate is Arshad Abbasi, PP-8 Khalid Mubeen, PP-9 Mufti Mohsin Nawaz, PP-10 Malik Rehan Babar, PP-11 Sardar Rashid Naeem, PP-12 Iqbal Awan, PP-13 Malik Safeer Alam, PP-15 Mufti Qasim, PP-16 Dr Hafiz Ziaur Rehman, PP-18 Mufti Musarat Iqbal and PP-19 Hafiz Ziaullah Khan.

Haideri says poll environment not feasible

JUI-F general secretary Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri expressed doubts about the upcoming general elections and termed the environment not conducive for the electioneering keeping in view law and order situation as well as weather conditions.

He was talking to newsmen in Pindigheb town of Attock on Monday.

He termed the role of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ‘dubious’ in holding elections in February next year.

He said that if elections were not held within the constitutional time frame of 90 days, it could be delayed beyond February keeping in view persistent law and order situation and serve weather conditions in northern areas, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

“When there would be knee-deep snow and severe weather conditions, how would they bring out voters and take them to polling stations,” the JUI-F leader said, adding, “we are ready for the elections, but we should be given an environment suitable for holding them”.

Responding to a question, Haideri said all political parties wanted free and fair elections without any intervention. Upon seat adjustment in the upcoming elections, he said that he was the chairman of a committee formed to hold talks with other political parties for seat adjustment.

“We are in contact with other parties, including the PPP, for seat adjustments in Balochistan,” the JUI-F leader said, adding talks had begun with the PML-N.

Responding to a question, he termed PTI as a “deflated balloon” made out of “forced loyalty and manipulation”.

“The PTI was a bubble and now that bubble has burst. People who were changing loyalties now were forced to join the PTI. Those who had become part of the PTI are themselves admitting that they were coerced into joining the party,” he said.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2023