RAWALPINDI: Despite an announcement made by Awami Muslim League (AML) President Sheikh Rashid Ahmed to field his nephew on NA-60 on a Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) ticket, the local workers and leaders of the PTI are not ready to accept him, and have warned of a protest if the party awarded him the ticket.

Election on NA-60 was postponed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) after the disqualification of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Hanif Abbasi after his conviction by the Control of Narcotics Substances Court in the ephedrine case.

A senior PTI leader told Dawn that Sheikh Rashid wanted to field his nephew on NA-60 and in this regard he met Imran Khan. However, he said the PTI chief made it clear that a party worker would be given a chance for the election on the seat.

Local leaders contact party leadership to ensure that ticket is given only to a PTI worker

He said there was resentment among the local leadership of the PTI for giving the seat to Sheikh Rashid’s nephew, Sheikh Rashid Shafique. “The PTI had differences with the AML at the local level but even then it supported Sheikh Rashid on the direction of Imran Khan otherwise the workers were not ready for this,” he said.

Mr Shafique is a former nazim of Rawal Town. He also contested a by-election in 2002 but lost to Hanif Abbasi, who was then a candidate of the MMA.

This time, Sheikh Rashid again wants to field him on the seat. “Sheikh Rashid was willing to make his nephew the city mayor but the PML-N won 40 out of the 46 seats of the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation in the local government elections,” he said.

“Local leaders contacted PTI senior leaders, including retired Brigadier Tipu Sultan, member of the disciplinary committee, to raise the issue with Imran Khan and Amir Kiani so that the party ticket could be given to one of the workers who sacrificed a lot during the PTI sit-in in front of Parliament House in 2014.”

He said the workers had already expressed resentment over the allocation of the ticket for PP-11 on the recommendations of Sheikh Rashid and they would not accept his interference in the party again.

He said there were two options for Sheikh Rashid: either he should join the PTI or stop interfering in its local matters. He said the party would make a decision in this regard after consultation with the local leadership.

When contacted, PTI City President Ijaz Khan Jazi said his party would not allow anyone to hijack it. The party will field its candidate for NA-60 in coming days.

He said those who joined the party after winning the election would not be acceptable. He said the local chapter had informed the party that workers were against those who joined the party for getting benefits from the forthcoming PTI government.

On the other hand, PTI former district president and MPA Arif Abbasi said the local leaders and workers had arranged meetings with the party leaders and expressed their resentment over the nomination of Sheikh Rashid’s nephew for the NA seat.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2018