TIMERGARA, April 14: Nusrat Begum, who became the first woman to file nomination papers for contesting elections from NA-34 Lower Dir, has urged Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan to review the party decision about award of ticket in the constituency.

Talking to Dawn at Warsak Adenzai here, Nusrat Begum, who was also PTI’s district vice-president, claimed that the party leaders had been asking her to withdraw her nomination papers, as it had awarded the ticket to another candidate Bashir Khan.

She said that to secure the party ticket she visited the PTI office in Islamabad, but the central leaders turned down her request.

“Now the party chairman is the last ray of hope for me to get ticket,” she said and claimed that she would ‘expose’ the party leadership if she was not awarded the ticket.

“I will contest as an independent candidate if the party refused to accept me as its candidate for NA 34,” she said.

Nusrat Begum claimed that some of the party leaders were denying ticket to her on the ground that she could face militant threat.

“Life and death is in the hands of Allah Almighty and no one can harm me,” she said.

About her campaign, she said that she had visited several areas of Lower Dir where women and men had promised to vote for her.

She also appealed to the Election Commission of Pakistan to allow her to contest the election as independent candidate if the PTI refused her its ticket.