RAWALPINDI: Last year, Dr Tahirul Qadri of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) led an anti-government rally to Islamabad claiming a massive public support.

However, about eight months later the party has failed to field candidates for the cantonment board elections in the garrison city.

The Rawalpindi and Chaklala cantonment boards have 10 elected seats each. However, the PAT could field only two candidates, one each in the two cantonments.

Even PTI, the ‘political cousin’ of PAT during the four-month sit-in in Islamabad, refused to make an alliance with it.

The PAT did not participate in the 2013 general elections but in 2002 its two candidates from PP-9 and PP-10 - Rashid Hameed and Haji Zaheerul Zaman - managed to get 2,000 and 2,500 votes, respectively.

A senior PAT leader acknowledged that the party faced difficulties in finding suitable candidates.

He said the PAT had invited applications from the candidates but nobody was willing to contest the elections form its platform. He said the party received two applications from the 20 wards of Rawalpindi and Chaklala cantonment boards.

“The party failed to get the support of Imran Khan and his PTI as they considered the PAT as a non-political entity. On Sunday, a PAT delegation led by Haji Zaheerul Zaman met PTI Punjab north secretary general Zahid Kazmi but the latter refused to enter into an alliance with the PAT,” he said.

Suhail Abbasi, a spokesman for the PAT Rawalpindi, told Dawn that the party failed to complete its homework and could field only two candidates in Ward No 7 of Chaklala Cantonment Board and Ward No 1 of Rawalpindi Cantonment Board. The candidates for the two seats are Ghulam Rabbani and Majid Qureshi.

He said the PAT had sought applications late because it was expecting the cantonment elections would be held simultaneously with the local government elections in the city areas.

“We have more than 100 people in the cantonment areas but they got information about the party’s decision to participate in the elections after the expiry of the date of submission of nomination papers,” he said.

About the PTI and PAT alliance in cantonment elections, Mr Abbasi said the PTI wanted to go solo to the elections. Similarly, the PAT refused to support the PTI in the cantonment elections.

He said in the Mirpur elections, the PTI got support from the PAT and won. “We have the support of more than 50 to 60 families in each of the union councils and wards of the city and cantonment areas.”

When contacted, PTI Punjab north secretary general Zahid Kazmi admitted that a PAT delegation visited him. But it was difficult for the PTI to accommodate the PAT which failed to field even 10 candidates for the 20 seats.

“We requested them to support the PTI unconditionally and withdraw their candidates. In return, the PTI will accommodate the PAT in the local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.”

He said the “PPP and JI also contacted the PTI for support in the cantonment board elections. When we can win the elections on our own, why should we make alliances with other parties who have already disappointed the people,” he claimed.

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2015

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