Pakistan: Imran Khan-led PTI to begin election campaign for Punjab polls tomorrow
Pakistan: Imran Khan-led PTI to begin election campaign for Punjab polls tomorrow
Amid uncertainty over the polls, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) general secretary Asad Umar on Sunday announced that the party will launch its election campaign for the Punjab polls on Monday, Geo News reported.
“Tehreek-e-Insaf will officially launch its election campaign from tomorrow. They (PDM) may not be ready but we are ready,” Asad Umar said on his official Twitter handle. Earlier this week, PTI finalized the list of 297 candidates for the elections. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the election, PTI has announced the launch of the election campaign.
The party’s president, Imran Khan, finalized the list of candidates after personally interviewing all the party’s candidates to maintain eligibility in the party’s ticket distribution. They conducted one-on-one interviews with all the candidates from April 6-18 to shortlist the candidates for the election, reports Geo News. However, ticket distribution within the PTI has not gone well as several high-profile leaders of the party were denied tickets.
Geo News quoted sources as saying that former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is planning to include PTI vice-chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Asad Umar in the review committee to overcome the objections of the party members. On Thursday, the PTI constituted a four-member committee to look into the objections to the issue of party tickets.
The panel included Musaddiq Abbasi, Ijaz Chowdhary, Rai Hasan Nawaz and Aun Abbas. However, PTI chairman Imran Khan may involve some senior members to decide on the appeal regarding ticket issuance, following protests by party workers and supporters, according to a Geo News report.
According to news reports, the Election Commission of Pakistan (PTI) is waiting for funds from the Federal Government of Pakistan to conduct the elections. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court of Pakistan directed the ECP to hold elections in Punjab on May 14.
Earlier in an order on 4 April, the Pakistan Supreme Court directed the federal government to release 21 billion Pakistani rupees (PKR) to the ECP by 10 April and give security for the elections. However, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government has refused to release the funds for the elections as the country’s parliament has rejected the proposal.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Defense Ministry has filed a petition in the apex court requesting the court to withdraw its order to hold elections on May 14. According to news reports, the hearing of the case is going on in the Supreme Court.
During the court proceedings, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial said that the three-judge bench would not withdraw its order for the elections to be held on May 14.
Continuing the achievement of the journey of effectiveness and credibility of more than 10 years in the career of journalism, as a woman journalist, I am Serving as the founder, promoter and editor of DiaryTimes with the trust and support of all. My credible coverage may not have given a big shape to the numbers, but my journey presents articles that make you aware of the exact and meaningful situations of Himachal’s politics, ground issues related to the public, business, tourism and the difficult geographical conditions of the state and financial awareness. DiaryTimes, full of the experience of my precise editorial expertise, is awakening the flame of credible journalism among all of you, so that the eternal flame of meaningful change can be lit in the life of the people of the state and the atrocities being committed against the people can be brought to the fore, I am motivated for that. If even a small change comes with the power of my journalism and the whole world becomes a witness to that issues, then I will consider myself fortunate.
