PESHAWAR: Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) provincial president Pir Sabir Shah has threatened to quit the party office if his name is not removed as covering candidate of party’s ticket holder for Senate polls retired Lt Gen Salahuddin Tirmizi.

Addressing a press conference at Peshawar Press Club on Thursday, he said it was ironic that only he was nominated as covering candidate, which was tantamount to tarnish his political image.

“We will follow the party policy as the leadership has already taken me into confidence about the nomination of Gen Tirmizi. I have no objection to it but putting my name is covering candidate is not acceptable to me,” Mr Shah said.

The PML-N provincial president said that nominating him as covering candidate was an injustice with him and his office. It would be better to drop his name otherwise he would prefer to submit documents as an ordinary worker to save honour of the party office, he added.

Mr Shah said that he tried to convey his reservations to the party top leadership but the focal person Dr Kirmani did not bother to inform Mian Nawaz Sharif in that regard.

Flanked by party’s MPAs Arbab Akbar Hayat, Ms Sobia Khan and other local leaders of PML-N, he said that he belonged to a respectable religious family, which had thousands of followers in the country and abroad. He said that he could compromise on his personal status but not on party office.

The party, Mr Shah said, allotted tickets to Iqbal Zafar Jhagra and retired Gen Tirmizi for contesting the Senate elections as they deserved it. He dispelled the impression that the party’s MPAs would not support the candidates if he was not allotted ticket.

“I am not a blackmailer and my press conference does not mean to pressurise the leadership but I only want to convey my reservations to it because nomination as covering candidate will be a test for me,” he said.

The PML-N leader said that Chief Minister Pervez Khattak was in contact with him to discourage all those, who wanted compromise on principles. He said that the country was facing several challenges like terrorism and it was only PML-N that knew well to control the critical situation.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play