VEHARI: District PML-N women wing president and former MPA Farah Manzoor Rind joined the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday.

She told a press conference that PML-N women tehsil president Uzma Saleem, Shagufta, Musarat Aleem, Shamim Mai, Dr Saba and others had joined the PTI with her as the PML-N leadership ignored women workers in the district in the reserved seats. She said they had been forced to leave the party for there was no acknowledgement of their services for the party. She said that local PML-N leader Tehmina Daultana was responsible for their decision to join the PTI.

Uzma Saleem told Dawn that over 40 to 45 office-bearers of the PML-N women wing had joined the PTI and they all would campaign for PTI candidates, especially PTI candidates for NA-164 Chaudhry Tahir Iqbal, PP-234 Zahid Iqbal and PP-233 Rai Zahoor Kharal.

District PML-N vice-president Nosheen Malik confirmed the majority of PML-N women wing office-bearers had left the party.

She told Dawn Ms Rind and Ms Saleem wanted to be on the list of women reserved seats but the party refused them. She said Ms Rind remained PML-N MPA on a reserved seat from 2013 to 2018. Ms Saleem remained the Vehari Darulaman president for about 10 years.

The mass defection is likely to affect PML-N candidate Tehmina Daultana’s position in the election.

Published in Dawn, July 06th, 2018