BAJAUR: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf workers on Wednesday called upon the party leadership to grant the election tickets to the new candidates, accusing the party’s former lawmakers of corruption and favouritism.

They called for launching inquiries against the former lawmakers over their alleged corruption in development funds.

They made the call at a public gathering held in Salarzai tehsil.

A large number of PTI workers from across the Bajaur district participated in the gathering to ask the party’s senior leadership to award poll tickets on merit to new candidates for the upcoming provincial and National Assembly elections in the district.

The participants chanted slogans against the four party lawmakers, including former provincial minister Anwarzeb Khan, who were elected from the district during the last elections to the national and provincial assemblies. They insisted the former legislators had done nothing for the welfare of their voters.

They alleged the former lawmakers indulged in corruption and favouritism in development projects and appointments in government departments.

Nawagai tehsil council chairman and former PTI district president Dr Khailur Rahman, Anwarzeb’s former coordinator for development works Luqman Khan Salarzai, PTI leader and Youth of Bajaur chairman Rehan Zeb Khan, Haji Toor Gul and other leaders addressed the gathering, and lashed out at the former lawmakers for their alleged corruption and irregularities in development projects.

They observed that the former lawmakers had committed irregularities in making appointments, postings and executing development projects. They also criticised the former lawmakers for ignoring the PTI workers, and even refusing to meet them, despite the fact that they had played great role in their poll victories.

They asked the party’s central and provincial leadership, including chairman Imran Khan, to give tickets to ‘honest candidates’ for the elections to help restore the people’s trust in PTI. The participants vowed to give a tough time to the former legislators in the elections.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2023