VEHARI: Former provincial minster for agriculture Naeem Akhtar Bhaba is contesting for NA-164 as an independent candidate against PML-N’s Tehmina Daultana after the party refused him the ticket.

He also returned the PML-N ticket for PP-233 (Vehari-V) and decided to contest election as an independent candidate for NA-164.

Naeem Akhtar Bhaba told Dawn the PML-N leadership had earlier promised him a ticket for NA-164 (Vehari-111).

“The party leadership did not fulfill the promise and awarded the National Assembly ticket to Tehmina Daultana. After its decision, I returned the party ticket for PP-233 and decided to contest the election as an independent candidate against Ms Daultana.”

Mr Bhaba said his independent group consisted of former speaker of Punjab Assembly Saeed Manais, a candidate for PP-233 against PML-N candidate Rao Shabbir Billo, and Rana Fakhar would be contest from PP-234 against the former MPA Mian Saqib Khursheed of PML-N.

He said the PML-N leadership already knew about his stronghold in the Karampur area of NA-164 but they preferred Daultana over him though she had lost the seat in the 2013 election against the Tahir Iqbal Chaudhry from this constituency.

Saeed Manais is contesting on the two seats, one as a PML-N candidate for NA-165 (Vehari-4) and another as an independent candidate for -PP-233.

According to sources, the PML-N leadership wanted Saeed to contest the election on a party ticket for PP-233 and NA-165 but he refused the party ticket for PP- 233. His son, Asif Saeed Manais, is also contesting the election on PML-N ticket for PP-235 (Vehari-7).

The local political observers claim that Naeem Bhaba’s independent status could affect of Tehmina Daultana in NA- 164 as he would take the PML-N votes.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2018