PTI onslaught ends PML-N’s reign in Pindi
RAWALPINDI, May 12: The Pakistan Muslim League-N is celebrating its victory in the May 11 polls believing it would form a government in the centre and Punjab with a simple majority, but its defeat in the garrison city is a cause for concern for the PML-N leaders.
In 1988, NA-38 covered the area of the two seats and was won by Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on the PML-N led IJI ticket. Again in 1993 and 1997, he retained this seat on the PML-N ticket.
In 2002, he used Nawaz Sharif’s name in his election campaign and won the two seats of NA-55 and NA-56, but later joined PervezMusharraf led Jamali government. After Nawaz return from Jeddah from exile, Sheikh Rashid lost the two seats in the 2008 elections.
However, in May 11 polls he managed to win from NA-55 once again with the support of Imran Khan led Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI).
He got 88,852 votes, defeating the PML-N candidate Malik Shakil Awan, who bagged 72,275.
In NA-56, Imran Khan defeated PML-N’s Hanif Abbasi by securing 80,425 votes against Abbasi’s 67,167.
The results showed Rawalpindi city was no longer the PML-N stronghold.
Political analysts believed the wave of change by the PTI compelled people to come out of their houses against the bad policies of the PML-N, at least in Rawalpindi.
They provided three main reasons of the defeat of the former ruling party in the garrison city:
Friction within the PML-N
Presence of Imran Khan, who became popular among the urban youth and families
Unwise distribution of party tickets to those who had failed to serve the people during the past five years of the PML-N provincialgovernment
The PML-N was divided in four groups, three of which were against the regional head of the party and former opposition leader in the National Assembly, Ch Nisar Ali Khan.
These three groups are led by Shaharyar Riaz in the downtown, Chaudhry Tanveer in the rural-cum-cantonment areas, and Haji Pervaiz Khan in the city areas.
The division within the ranks of the party was visible in the public meeting of Nawaz Sharif on May 7 at Liaquat Bagh.
Though all local party leaders had attended the meeting, the low attendance of workers and supporters had annoyed the PML-N chief.
“Nawaz Sharif, on his way back to Islamabad, asked the local party leaders to improve their performance and to unite the party instead of dividing it,” a local PML-N leader said.
Local leader and former Member of Provincial Assembly Shaharyar Riaz blamed the defeat on Ch Nisar Ali.
“He (Ch Nisar) is responsible for the defeat of PML-N in the city’s two main constituencies because he gave the tickets to those who did not enjoy good repute,” he said while talking to Dawn.
He added that the disgruntled PML-N workers and supporters had voted for former Railway Minister Sheikh Rashid instead of the PML-N candidates for this reason.
However, PML-N City President and candidate for PP-12, Sardar Naseem did not agree with Mr Riaz, and said there were many families in NA-55 and NA-56 which belonged to the military.
“Most of these families voted for Imran Khan. You may not agree, but it is a reality that some hidden forces supported Imran Khan,” he said.
Sardar Naseem said approximately 10,000 votes from NA-55 and NA-56 were shifted to NA-54 in the electoral list without any reason.
“The situation came to our notice too late, when the lists had been finalised,” he added.
He said the NA-56 seat had been lost due to the presence of Imran Khan himself, but added that, “We will get the seat back the coming by-election, if that is held.”
The PTI Vice President Raja Tariq Kiani pointed out other reasons for the party’s victory.
He termed the election historic and said Imran Khan had emerged as the main national leader in the country who had bagged seats from all corners of the country.
“The change was visible in the country on May 11 when 30pc extra voters who had never cast their votes in the previous elections came to the polling stations to vote in favour of Imran Khan,” he said.
“In Rawalpindi, people are fed up of the corruption of the PML-N and the PPP in the Punjab and centre respectively.
The PML-N and PPP workers therefore voted for PTI due to its agenda to develop a ‘Naya Pakistan’,” he said.