PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf workers have demanded of the party chairman Imran Khan to cancel the tickets awarded by Azam Khan Swati and MPAs for the local government elections and award them on the recommendations of the parliamentary boards already set up for the purpose.

Enraged PTI workers held a protest demonstration near the Peshawar Press Club on Saturday and said that party’s provincial president Azam Swati and MPAs had awarded tickets to people who had no relation with the ideology of change pursued by the party.

They said that they would continue struggle to fight against those who wanted to highjack the party. They also warned of the province-wide protests if their demand for transparent award of tickets wasn’t met within 24 hours.

On this occasion, deputy convener of PTI Workers Ittehad, Peshawar, Asif Hadi said that unjust distribution of tickets for LG polls had caused resentment among the true party workers in the province, especially in Peshawar, Karak and Dir where the MPAs had selected their own people regardless of their affiliation with the party.

He said that a plan had also been made to field candidates throughout the province in the upcoming polls if the leadership didn’t withdraw tickets from those nominated by the MPAs.

Others, including Ittehad convener Arbab Nisar, Asia Saleh Khattak, Ilyas Khalil, Riaz Khan, Arbab Alam and others, alleged that Mr Swati had authorised the MPAs to allot tickets in the LG polls to the people of their choice because he wanted their votes for Senate election.

They hoped that the party chairman would take action to ensure that genuine PTI people were given the tickets for the election. They said that the workers were also not given due representation in award of tickets in 2013 general elections.

The activists said that they would fight to save the real face of PTI and wouldn’t let the people to silence their voices. They said that MPAs had awarded tickets to their relatives in the LG polls and vowed to thwart any move aimed at harming the party. They said that they would expose the traditional politicians like Mr Swati and his associates.

The PTI activists claimed that Mr Swati was no more the KP president of the party after the decision of the retired Justice Wajeehuddin-led tribunal and all the tickets awarded by the MPAs should be cancelled. The protesters expressed confidence in the PTI’s leadership and said that their demand for nominations on merit would be taken seriously.

Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2015

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