ISLAMABAD, Dec 11: After the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s announcement to participate in January 8 elections, the PML-N is facing a rift over allocation of ticket for a National Assembly constituency in Islamabad where two party office-bearers have submitted their nomination papers and both are adamant not to withdraw from the race.

Both the PML-N vice-president Syed Zafar Ali Shah and president of the party’s Islamabad chapter Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry have filed applications with the party for award of tickets to contest the election from NA-49 Islamabad-II constituency. They are awaiting a decision from the party high- ups.

In the October 2002 elections, Syed Zafar Ali Shah and Dr Chaudhry had contested from two different constituencies of Islamabad, but both of them lost to Mian Mohammad Aslam of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) and Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari of the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP), respectively.

Syed Zafar Ali Shah, who had won the NA seat from Islamabad in the 1997 elections, contested the last polls from NA-48 whereas Mr Chaudhry contested from NA-49 seat.

For the forthcoming elections, Dr Chaudhry has again submitted his nomination papers from NA-49 whereas Mr Shah has also submitted his papers from two constituencies of nearby Rawalpindi city — NA-55 and NA-56 — where former federal minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed is contesting the election.

However, after the party decision to field senior party leader Makhdoom Javed Hashmi against Sheikh Rashid Ahmed in NA-55 and after joining of former MMA parliamentarian Hanif Abbasi of the PML-N, Syed Zafar Ali Shah’s chances of getting party tickets for the two Pindi seats have diminished.

Talking to Dawn, both the PML-N candidates expressed the hope that the party leadership would award to them ticket for the NA-49 seat. However, Mr Shah was a bit angry over the party leadership for delaying the decision on this important constituency.

Zafar Ali Shah, who rose to prominence after challenging Gen Musharraf’s Oct 12, 1999 coup in the Supreme Court, said that he had been trying to contact Nawaz Sharif since his return to the country to discuss the issue with him, but to no avail. “My only fault is that I am not a capitalist or Jagirdar (feudal) or (one from) the mafia,” he said, adding: “I did not shake hands with Musharraf from the backdoor like others about whom I will speak when the time comes.”

The former MNA said that he was ready to accept the party’s decision, but added, “I will definitely ask why I am not given the ticket. Was my loyalty (to the party) deficient?”

On the other hand, Dr Chaudhry said he was expecting a decision from Mr Sharif in the next couple of days.

Mr Shah also contested the previous election against Sheikh Rashid Ahmed from NA-56, but failed to create any problem for the latter, who is vying for the seventh consecutive win in the Jan 8 polls.

In the last elections, Zafar Ali Shah remained at number five in NA-48 by securing 3,893 votes. In NA-56, he bagged 11,441 votes.

Dr Chaudhry had secured 16,832 votes in NA-49 against Nayyar Bokhari who returned as MNA by obtaining 47,884 votes.