PESHAWAR: The allotment of tickets for the upcoming general elections has caused serious differences in the provincial chapter of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf women wing and scores of its activists have decided to join Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

The disgruntled women activists of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) have blamed provincial leadership of their party for allotting tickets to the influential women and ignoring senior workers.

PTI women activists belonging to various constituencies in Peshawar, Swat and Karak told Dawn on condition of anonymity that they followed the instructions of provincial leadership to deposit fee and applications for party tickets but they did not find their names in the priority list, submitted by their leaders to Election Commission of Pakistan.

They said that they would join PML-N on Wednesday as its leadership had promised to appoint them on important positions in the party organisation.

Some of them said that their names were placed on 10th number in the priority list. “It is a joke with us,” they added.

They said that they were associated with PTI since its formation and personally known to its chairman Imran Khan but he did not bother to make even a telephone call to console them.

“We have women office-bearers of the party in the province but the central leadership left us at the mercy of men, who ignored us in the list and accommodated their relatives,” they said.

Farzana Zain, former district president of PTI women wing in Peshawar, complained against the party’s provincial president Asad Qaiser and blamed him for ignoring her supporters. “We openly supported him in the intra-party election but now he is hand in glove with his opponent Pervez Khattak to distribute the tickets equally between themselves by ignoring sacrifices of senior workers,” she said.

Ms Zain said that women candidates were not called for interview. They were not given a chance to contest their cases before the parliamentary board of the party, she said, adding men office-bearers decided the future of women.

Ms Zain alleged that PTI spokesman Shah Farman, women wing president Naseem Hayat and Ayesha Naeem hatched conspiracy against her in the intra-party elections.  She said that she deserved the ticket but the three people planned to ignore her. PTI provincial president Asad Qaiser also avoided taking notice of the situation, she added.

“To bring change in the country’s system is not an easy job. The slogan of ‘new Pakistan’ will also become like that of Pakistan People’s Party’s food, clothing and shelter,” Ms Zain said.

Asif Yousuf, a minority leader of PTI, said that party allotted tickets to Surang Singh of Buner and Baladev Kumar of Swat but he was ignored. He said that among Christian was the largest minority community in the province but he was ignored by party leadership despite seniority. “I will part ways with Imran Khan soon,” he said.

PTI provincial president Asad Qaiser and general secretary Pervez Khattak did not attend telephone calls despite repeated attempts to comment on the prevailing situation, however, the women wing leaders tried to defend the party.“Senior activists deserve to be compensated if PTI comes into power. Imran Khan knows well about everyone. Some of the women feel neglected but they should know that there is no new or old worker in the party and tickets are allotted on merit,” PTI women wing provincial general secretary Nadia Sher told Dawn.

PTI women wing provincial president Naseem Hayat said that women had no role in the decision making and men had to decide about allotment of tickets. Similar situation also prevailed in other parties, she added.

Ms Hayat said that she had recommended the names of some women but members of parliamentary board changed them. She said that she did not protest because the board preferred to accommodate senior workers.

“We should not disgrace the party and should remain loyal to it,” Ms Hayat said.