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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has amazingly not put up a candidate against Mian Shahbaz Sharif in NA-129 Lahore constituency.
Instead, the PTI has decided to support an independent contestant, Munsha Sindhu, who is known to have excellent relations with Chaudhry Pervez Elahi and Habibullah Warraich. However, its decision is in sharp contrast to its claim that it will hit Lahore most hard, demolishing the PML-N.
When contacted, PTI Information Secretary Dr Shirin Mazari confirmed to The News that her party has not sponsored any candidate against Shahbaz Sharif and would back Munsha Sindhu, who is a very formidable competitor. She didnt know the reason behind this decision.
Mohsin Warraich, whose name prominently figured in the National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) scam, has also filed nomination papers for this seat as it falls in the area from where his father, Habibullah Warraich, was once elected to the National Assembly. While Imran Khan is also contesting for a Lahore seat, the Sharif family itself has grabbed the most tickets in Lahore. In terms of constituencies, it surpassed the Zardari family whose three members, Faryal Talpur, her spouse Munawar Talpur and Dr Azra Pachecho, are fighting for different Sindh seats on PPP tickets.
Nawaz Sharif is vying for one National Assembly seat of Lahore, Shahbaz Sharif is aspiring for one national and two Punjab assembly seats while his son Hamza is competing for one seat each of the national and provincial assemblies.
Dr Mazari said that her name on the PTIs list for reserved womens seats stood first, which means that if her party was able to win sufficient seats to get just one special berth, she would be the lucky one.
In order of precedent, she is followed by Munazza Hassan, the first elected central president of the PTIs womens wing, Ayla Malik, Fauzia Kasuri, who recently relinquished her foreign nationality, and prominent gynaecologist Dr Yasmin Raashid, who is also contesting the direct election from NA-120 Lahore on her partys ticket to challenge PML-N President Nawaz Sharif.
In the last minute surprising changes of tickets, the PTI has dumped its Punjab president Ijaz Chaudhry, who was its nominee for Punjab assembly constituency of PP-148 Lahore for being a bank defaulter.
According to the information provided to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) by the State Bank of Pakistan, Ijaz Chaudhry has a total of approximately Rs118 million overdue in his and his wifes names as his Kissan Care has six overdue amounts. This became the prime reason behind withdrawal of the PTI ticket.
Another important change is the replacement of its candidate by the PML-N in NA-105 Gujrat constituency, which will see a frenzied fight between two leading stalwarts, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi of the PML-Q and Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar of the PPP. This is the seat where the PPP-Q League bonhomie stands shattered as none of the contestants was ready to step down. Both parties did not want to lose them and official awarded their tickets to them. The PML-N has brought in a close but estranged relative of the Chaudhrys of Gujrat, Chaudhry Mubashar, son of Chaudhry Tajamal, who joined it after quitting the PTI. The scheme is to split the Chaudhrys vote and pave the way for the victory of Ahmed Mukhtar. Naseer Abbas was replaced by the PML-N.
Mubashars association with the PML-N was managed by Ahmed Mukhtars elder brother Chaudhry Ahmed Saeed, who joined the PML-N some time back. The two brothers are at odds since long.
Another upset was the ditching of Ayaz Amir in Chakwal where the PML-N preferred Tahir Iqbal over him.
Shahbaz Sharif left alone by PTI in Lahore - thenews.com.pk
