RAWALPINDI: After facing defeat on all seats in the Rawalpindi city and cantonment areas, PML-N is getting ready to campaign for NA-60, where elections were postponed.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) postponed the elections in NA-60 after the disqualification of PML-N candidate Hanif Abbasi after his conviction in the ephedrine case by the Control of Narcotics Substances court.

The PML-N had earlier announced that it will field Hanif Abbasi’s wife on the seat and asked all party leaders and workers to start campaigning for her in the constituency.

The party may field Hanif Abbasi’s wife, Mehnaz Abbasi, on the seat

A senior PML-N leader told Dawn the party leaders are united in helping Hanif Abbasi’s wife, Mehnaz Abbasi, in launching her campaign in the city areas. The party president, Shahbaz Sharif also visited Ms Abbasi’s house and assured her of the party’s support.

He said local leaders and workers wanted to avenge their defeat in Rawalpindi constituencies.

Another party leader said the election will be difficult for Ms Abbasi to win if PML-N does not form the government in Punjab.

He said Chaudhry Tanveer should filed his son Daniyal Chaudhry on the seat again as he performed well in NA-62 by managing the get 91,000 votes.

“A strong personality should be fielded on the seat who can unite all party workers whose morale is down after the defeat in Rawalpindi,” he said.

The party leader said the drug sentence will taint Ms Abbasi’s campaign and that there are other means of accommodating loyal party leaders. The need of the hour, he said, is to have someone strong contest the elections against Sheikh Rashid and PTI.

Party workers of the area, on the other hand, said party leaders should support Hanif Abbasi’s family.

The party faced defeat due to the non-serious attitude of the local leadership during the election campaign.

“If they worked hard, PTI and Sheikh Rashid would not have won,” said Shahzad Abbasi, a party workers from Satellite Town, adding that it was time to let go of differences in the party.

When contacted, former PML-N MNA Malik Abrar said party leaders will support Ms Abbasi in case the party decided to field her in NA-60.

“I will run the campaign if the party deputes me,” he said.

Cases against PML-N leaders are false and fabricated, he added, and that party workers should unite and work for victory in the difficult time it is facing.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2018