MULTAN: Multan’s NA-155 is going to have a close contest between Malik Aamir Dogar of the PTI and Sheikh Tariq Rasheed of the PML-N.

The only issue for the PTI in this urban constituency is a lack of support by local leaders.

In the 2008 elections, Mr Rasheed as the PML-N candidate won the constituency (previously NA-149) by defeating Malik Liaquat Ali Dogar, an uncle of Amir Dogar, of the PPP.

Five years later, it was PTI President Javed Hashmi who won the seat by obtaining 83,569 votes against Mr Rasheed who got 73,861 votes. Aamir Dogar who contested on the PPP ticket chipped in with 20,703 votes.

In 2014, a by-election was held after Mr Hashmi resigned from the constituency following differences with party chairman Imran Khan. Mr Dogar backed by the PTI and Mr Hashmi who had the PML-N support contested as independent candidates and the former emerged victorious by getting 52,321 votes against the latter who got 38,391 votes.

Political circles are of the view that back then Mr Rasheed was not happy over the party’s decision of supporting Mr Hashmi and not awarding its ticket to him and he did not put his weight behind Mr Hashmi.

This time round the PML-N workers seem to be running the campaign of Mr Rasheed more enthusiastically than the PTI workers’ efforts for their party.

PTI city president Dr Khalid Khakwani who recently resigned from his party membership and position is contesting election against Mr Dogar as an independent candidate. He is being backed by the PPP that has not fielded its candidate in the constituency.

Similarly, PTI district president Ejaz Janjua announced that he would oppose Mr Dogar in the contest though he still is associated with the party. Mr Janjua was willing to contest the by-election (2014) and was told that he would be accommodated in the general election so he should not oppose the nomination of Mr Dogar as party candidate.

He complained that after the election process started he contacted party’s Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi and expressed his desire to contest the election on this constituency but Mr Qureshi suggested that he should contest election from PP-216 as the party will award its ticket to sitting MNA Mr Dogar.

He, along with other aspirants, announced that they would oppose the party candidates in NA-155, PP-211, PP-212 and PP-216 after the party did not award tickets to them. The PTI awarded its ticket for PP-216 to Nadim Qureshi.

Apparently Mr Dogar and Nadim Qureshi are lacking support of the local leadership and workers, while another potential political figure of PP-216 Aslam Saeed Qureshi has also dissociated himself from the campaign.

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2018