LAHORE: PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif says the party tickets will be awarded only to the loyalists on merit and delay in elections will not be tolerated.

Chairing the Parliamentary Board meeting along with PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif and Raja Zafarul Haq at party’s Model Town office on Saturday, Mr Sharif questioned the Lahore High Court single bench’s decision on nomination papers.

Amendments to the nomination papers were finalised by the parliamentary committee on electoral reforms.

He said the decision was a move to delay the general election.

Sources claimed that the meeting expressed reservations over the possibility of delay in the general election. The meeting also passed a resolution that the PML-N would stand tall and defeat any move aimed at delaying the elections.

Mr Sharif said the Election Commission of Pakistan on one hand was saying that elections would not be delayed and, on the other, was blocking the candidates to submit their nomination papers. “The delay in elections will disturb Pakistan’s national interest besides creating regional issues,” he said.

“The party, which was campaigning for early elections, is now trying to slip away instead of facing the challenge,” he remarked.

“The delaying tactics are being employed because other political parties have realised that the PML-N will win elections,” he said.

PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif said Nawaz Sharif would decide the party tickets for the candidates for the general election. He said the party would begin mass-contact campaign after Eidul Fitr.

“Those who have left the PML-N will be held accountable by people in the next general election,” he said, adding that the party would go into the elections with a consensus narrative “Vote ko Izzat do” (Give respect to vote),” he said.

The PML-N central parliamentary board appointed Marriyum Aurangzeb as party spokesperson.

It is learnt the parliamentary board decided to begin formal functioning to decide the award of party tickets from Monday (tomorrow). The board will decide about party tickets on the basis of reports about potential candidates prepared by the divisional committees.

The board has received 2,475 applications from potential candidates.

Sources claim that the PML-N parliamentary board will complete its recommendations by June 10 for final decision by Nawaz Sharif.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2018