LOWER DIR: Pakistan Tahreek-i-Insaf is in hot waters in Lower Dir as a number of party activists are also in the race competing against the ones PTI has nominated to contest the two national and five provincial assembly seats in the district as independent candidates.
The Supreme Court, in a recent judgment, had upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan’s decision to deprive PTI of its election symbol ‘bat’ for not conducting the intra-party elections in a transparent manner.
PTI workers in Asbanr area here on Wednesday announced that they won’t vote for the party-nominated candidate and former MPA Humayun Khan in PK-15.
They made the announcement during a function with another independent candidate for the seat, Rashid Khan, in the chair.
PTI activists Hawa Khan, Pervez Khan, Sardar Khan, Zahid Khan and others insisted Rashid Khan was their genuine candidate and all the PTI workers in Asbanr would support him.
They blasted the party for picking Humayun Khan as he had ignored the workers during his tenure. They alleged Humayun had also included his son, Khuram Shahzad in the list of candidates for PK-15, and he would seek votes for his son as he [Humayun] had reportedly withdrawn from the race.
Four activists of PTI, including Humayun, Rashid Khan, Farooq ur Rehman and Khuram Shahzad are in the run in PK-15 seat in Adenzai.
They demanded of the party chairman Barrister Gauhar Khan to clarify the situation or they would vote for Rashid Khan.
Meanwhile, PTI has picked former MPA Mohammad Azam Khan for PK-14 as an independent, but former district president Ghulam Hussain and Azhar Taqveem are also in the run for the seat.
In PK-16, the party has chosen its former MPA Shafiullah Khan, but three other party workers, including Mohammad Inam Khan, Mohammad Zakirullah and Syed Alam Shah, are also in the run.
In PK-17, four PTI activists, including Ubaid ur Rehman, Mohammad Din Jan, Mahboob Yar Khan and Jawad Khan, are in the run. However, the party has picked Ubaid ur Rehman for the seat.
Similarly in PK-18, PTI has backed its former MPA Liaqat Ali Khan, but he has to face another party activist, Malak Abdullah Shah.
In NA-6, the party has picked former MNA Mohammad Bashir Khan, but Ali Shah Mishwani is also running.
PTI has chosen Mehboob Shah for NA-7, but another party activist, Mohammad Inam Khan is also running his election campaign in the constituency.
The differences in PTI over naming of candidates will badly affect its position in elections as the party had won two national and four of the five provincial assembly seats in the 2018 elections.
JI CAMPAIGN: Jamaat-i-Islami candidate for NA-7 and former provincial Khateeb Maulana Mohammad Ismail has said Islamic system is the only solution to all the problems faced by Pakistan.
Addressing gatherings and corner meetings in Badwan, Safroona Adenzai and Talash areas here on Wednesday, he said youth would be imparted IT skills to earn a decent living if JI came into power.
Maulana Ismail said the country was rich in natural resources like gold, silver, gas, forests and other minerals, but incompetent rulers had failed to make use of them for people’s benefit.
Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2024