GUJRAT, April 20: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz faces a challenging situation due to a revolt in the party ranks of Mandi Bahauddin as district president and ex-MPA Mushtaq Ahmed Dewan has quit the party office for denial of party ticket for PP-116 (Mandi city).

He has formed a new group called Wafa along with ex-MNA Ijaz Chaudhry who was also denied ticket for NA-108 by the PML-N.

Former chief minister and party leader Shahbaz Sharif is due in the district on April 22 to address an election rally in a bid to control the damage.

Both Dewan and Ijaz are running their election campaign for PP-116 and NA-108, respectively.

The PML-N has fielded former MNA and stalwart from Mandi Bahauddin Mumtaz Tarrar for NA-108 and gave PP-116 to former MPA Ms Hameed Waheeduddin who joined the party after ditching PML-Q. It is Tarar who has actually brought Hameed to the N-League.

Dewan confirmed that he had severed his 15 years affiliation with the PML-N. He said the party had stabbed him in the back in return for his sacrifices. He said when there was no body to contest the elections on the PML-N ticket in the district in 2002, he and his family had come forward.

He said when a better time had come, the party preferred a woman who had remained a staunch supporter of the Musharraf regime. He claimed to have the support of the local PML-N workers that had revolted against the wrong decision of the leadership.

On the other hand, PML-Q nominee for PP-116 Zulqarnain Sahi has withdrawn his nomination papers in favour of PPP candidate ex-MPA Tariq Sahi.

Insiders in the PML-N said that the party was also facing the same situation in PP-119 (Malakwal) where three out of four aspirants of the ticket had been running separate election campaign as independent candidates.

The PML-N has reposed trust in the old timer Shafqat Gondal for PP-119. Gondal had contested the last two general elections as a party nominee but both the times stood third on the table.