LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has reportedly expressed his displeasure with some provincial ministers and MPAs for not “actively” canvassing for PML-N candidate Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in NA-122.

Although chief minister’s son MNA Hamza Shahbaz is doing his best to get votes for the former National Assembly speaker, the role of the PML-N MPAs from adjacent constituencies is very important, what the chief minister thinks, in ensuring the victory of his party candidate.

“The chief minister has directed the MPAs from Lahore to effectively campaign for Mr Sadiq and do not take the contest between the PML-N and the PTI lightly,” a PML-N leader told Dawn on Saturday.

Punjab ministers Rana Mashhood, Bilal Yasin and Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman and MPAs Ghazali Butt, Majid Zahoor, Malik Waheed and Imran Nazir have reportedly been especially tasked with making efforts for sending Mr Sadiq back to the parliament where his post (speaker) is still lying vacant.

A ruling party source says the chief minister wants the provincial ministers and MPAs to go for intensive door-to-door campaign.

“Listen to the problems of the people of the constituency and try to redress them at earliest,”the lawmakers were reportedly told.

MPA Ghazali Butt was on campaign in NA-122 when Dawn sought his comment on the chief minister’s directive. He promised to return the call to talk on the issue but he did not.

While Mr Sadiq and PTI candidate Aleem Khan on Saturday continued their door-to-door campaign, Hamza held a public meeting in the constituency, flashing PML-N achievements since 2013.

PPP candidate Barrister Aamir Hasan, who had challenged the ‘lavish’ spending by the PML-N and PTI candidates in the Election Commission, told Dawn the ruling party leadership was frustrated as it had failed to deliver in NA-122, like elsewhere.

Published in Dawn October 4th, 2015

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