RAWALPINDI: Two major groups in the PML-N have decided to let go of their differences and present a united front against the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) in the upcoming general elections.

Hanif Abbasi and Chaudhry Tanveer on Thursday announced they will end their differences in larger interests of the party. Both leaders announced they will contest the elections together under the PML-N banner at an event arranged by the PML-N metropolitan president and Rawalpindi Mayor Sardar Naseem on Thursday.

Hanif Abbasi is the PLM-N candidate for NA-60 while Daniyal Chaudhry, the son of Chaudhry Tanveer, is the candidate for NA-62. Both will face six time winner, Awami Muslim League President Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.

Due to differences between the two senior leaders, the party’s workers and local leaders had been divided in two groups. After receiving reports from the local chapter, the party leadership had asked these two leaders to end their differences and run a joint election campaign in Rawalpindi.

A senior party leader told Dawn that Maryam Nawaz had asked Chaudhry Tanveer and Shahbaz Sharif had spoken to Hanif Abbasi in this regard.

He said that a formal meeting was held in the house of former MPA Ziaullah Shah. He said Tahira Aurangzeb and Sardar Naseem had managed to gather all groups and decided to bring them together.

He said former MNA Haji Pervaiz, UC chairman Sajjad Khan and other candidates had nominated papers for different constituencies due to the grouping.

He said Hanif Abbasi and Chaudhry Tanveer had developed differences in the 2013 elections when Hanif Abbasi and his close aide had gotten the party ticket for NA-56 and PP-13 and PP-14. They had reportedly alleged that other group had run an election campaign against him and played a role in his defeat.

“The division was visible in Nawaz Sharif’s rally from Islamabad to Lahore via G.T Road and during Maryam Nawaz public meeting in Rawalpindi,” he said.

Chaudhry Tanveer arranged a separate event and did not attend the party’s formal function which the other group had not attended. The two groups have now joined hands in order to improve their odds in the elections.

“PML-N leaders and workers are united under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif and all candidates will formally launch their election campaign without any prejudice,” Sardar Naseem said at the event on Thursday.

He said the party had completed Rs80 billion worth of development works in Rawalpindi during its five years. He said the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation has spent Rs1.5 billion on development works in the last year.

Former MNA Hanif Abbasi said that party workers and leaders had to work together to win the seat for Nawaz Sharif and for his narrative of respecting the sanctity of the vote. He vowed to visit all the streets of the city and cantonment areas to beg for votes for all PML-N candidates without any prejudice.

“We will defeat Imran Khan’s party and Sheikh Rashid Ahmed in Rawalpindi and this will be the election where it will be proven that Rawalpindi is still the fort of PML-N,” he said.

Senator Chaudhry Tanveer said PML-N workers will start campaigning together.

Published in Dawn, June 22nd, 2018