May 08, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 2, 1429

ISLAMABAD, May 7: Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan will be one of the most celebrated candidates in the coming by-elections for the National Assembly but the award of ticket to him by his Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is hinged on the terms of events about the restoration of the deposed judges.

Sources in the PPP told Dawn that the decision to award party ticket to Mr Ahsan, who is also the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), depended on his ‘attitude’ and ‘line of action’ on the judges issue.

Mr Ahsan has submitted his nomination papers from NA-55 Rawalpindi which was vacated by senior Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) leader Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, who had won three seats in the Feb 18 elections. In his nomination papers, Mr Ahsan had left the column of ‘party affiliation’ blank as the party had not yet awarded ticket to him.

Former minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, who had become member of the National Assembly from Rawalpindi for six times, faced worst defeat in his political career in the Feb 18 polls and had to forfeit his security deposits in both NA-55 and NA-56 seats to the PML-N candidates. Mr Ahmed has once again announced to contest the by-polls from NA-55 seat.

The sources said Amir Fida Piracha, who had contested the Feb 18 elections from NA-55 on the PPP ticket, had also submitted his nomination papers at the behest of the party leadership.

A senior PPP leader, when contacted, confirmed that the decision on award of the party ticket to Mr Ahsan depended as how he reacted on the issue of the restoration of the deposed judges. He said no doubt that Mr Ahsan’s credentials were strong and his qualification was better than that of Mr Paracha on many counts, but when it comes to ‘devotion and loyalty’ to the party, the party would, of course, has to wait and see whether Mr Ahsan gives preference to his position as SCBA president or as a ‘party loyalist.’

He said if Mr Ahsan announced agitation against the PPP-led coalition government on the issue of the deposed judges’ restoration then it would be considered a violation of the party discipline and he would definitely not get the party ticket.

When contacted for official comments, PPP spokesman Farhatullah Khan Babar said the party had so far not issued tickets to any candidate for the by-polls and the final decision would be taken by

June 2, which was the last date for withdrawal of nomination papers by the candidates.

When asked why it was needed for Mr Ahsan to apply for a party ticket when he was a member of the PPP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC), Mr Babar said it was a formality and everyone who wanted to contest the election on the party ticket was required to submit an application for the award of ticket.