December 16, 2007	Sunday	Zilhaj 5, 1428

MULTAN, Dec 15: Former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif had announced firmly that his party would not award tickets to any turncoat, but the ground reality speaks otherwise.

PML-N’s Multan district secretary-general Babu Nafees Ahmed Ansari claimed that the party had awarded tickets for PP-195 and PP-196 to those candidates who had not even got the party’s basic membership.

He further claimed that the party had refused him ticket for PP-195 and sold out the ticket to Amir Saeed Ansari for Rs3.5 million.

Similarly, he alleged that old party loyalist Mujahid Malik Bhutta was deprived of PP-196 ticket to accommodate Chaudhry Abdul Waheed Arain who paid a hefty sum of Rs4 million.

He said that Chaudhry Waheed belonged to the PPP and he did not even announce joining the PML-N.

He said at least 10 FIRs had been lodged against him for participating in political activities launched by the PML-N. He claimed that he had also refused to join the PLM-Q when he was an MPA.

Mr Nafees said that Nawaz Sharif had announced that the people who did not change their loyalties would be preferred, but Rana Noorul Hassan, the father of PML-N candidate for NA-150, had sold out the ticket of his constituency.

He said that he would resign from his post as secretary-general in protest and would not contest the elections.

Mujahid Malik Bhutta said that he would raise the issue before PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif during his scheduled visit to Multan on Sunday (today).

Refuting the allegations leveled against him, Rana Noorul Hassan said that the parliamentary board of the PML-N had awarded tickets to Amir Saeed Ansari and Chaudhry Abdul Waheed.

When contacted, Makhdoom Javed Hashmi refused to give his comment.