GUJRAT: The local cadre and candidates interested in Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) tickets are separately fighting for attention of the party’s senior leadership ahead of the scheduled visit of party Chairman Imran Khan here on Tuesday (today).

Various rival groups within the party have been striving to set up separate welcome camps for chairman’s visit. Some local party workers say that differences in party ranks have been a cause of concern for well-wishers, and they have called upon the senior leadership to convince these groups to unite for the sake of the party.

They said in Sara-i-Alamgir, Mr Khan will visit the venues separately set up by former ticket-holders, Chaudhry Ilyas and Raja Naeem Nawaz of NA-105 and PP-114, respectively, and former MPA Chaudhry Arshad.

In Jalalpur Jattan, two rival groups within the party have proposed their own venues for the chairman. Syed Faisal Abbas has arranged a reception at Deomelan Chowk, while Sheikh Shahid Anwar wants to welcome the chairman at Tanda Chowk.

Similarly, in Gujrat the main venue for Imran Khan’s scheduled address to workers and supporters is said to be the GTS Chowk where two groups have planned to establish separate stages, and a third group has planned a reception at Kutchehry Chowk.

Party workers said that there were serious differences among Saleem Sarwar Jaura and Afzal Gondal, who had been ticket-holders in the last general elections from PP-111 (now PP-31) and NA-105 (now NA-69), respectively. An aspirant of a party ticket from these constituencies, Usman Manzoor Dhudra, the scion of former MNA Manzoor Dhudra, had his own differences with these two.

All three had displayed publicity material hinting at their plans of contesting from both the National and provincial assembly seats of the city.

Gondal and Dhudra had also taken out separate processions to mobilise the youth in connection with the scheduled visit of Imran Khan.

PTI MPA Shoaib Siddiqui had paid a visit across Gujrat district on Saturday to review the various venues proposed by all rival groups within the party for Khan’s visit.

Local party workers have urged Mr Khan to personally interact with them prior to the next general elections instead of leaving them at the mercy of second-tier leadership.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2018