Daily Times

LAHORE: To contest the next general elections scheduled for the mid of 2018 after completion of the running parliamentary tenure of the sitting government and the opposition on May 31, more than 700 people, including some heavyweight candidates, from across the province of Punjab have applied for the party ticket of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

According to the party sources, the PPP has started preparations for the next general election that are actually scheduled for next year but could also be held before the scheduled time as per continued political chaos in the country, especially after the situation created by the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif and references against his family members and Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.

PPP sources confirmed that their party has received about 750 applications from across Punjab for getting party tickets to contest general election on the seats of National Assembly or the Punjab Assembly in next general election under the leadership of Bilawal Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari.

Party sources also told Daily Times that among others, some heavyweight candidates from not only southern Punjab areas but from the central Punjab had showed their interest and a will to get the party ticket for provincial or the national seat.

Sources further informed this scribe that the main central leadership of the party although had given a nod to some heavy weight candidates to start their electioneering campaign but after getting the formal approval from PPP Central Punjab President Qamar Zaman Kaira as well as from PPP Southern Punjab President Makhdoom Ahmad Mehmood.

Both the provincial chapters’ presidents Qamar Zaman Kaira and Makhdoom Ahmad Mehmood are nowadays on their private foreign visits and would return home within couple of days. Kaira will return after visiting Norway and later performing Umrah in Saudi Arab, while Makhdoom is on a tour of England for his “business engagements”.

PPP sources responded negatively on any chance of Makhdoom Ahmad Mehmood’s meeting or delivering any political massage from the party’s Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari to Nawaz Sharif who is staying there.

The party sources said that Kaira and Makhdoom would finalise the names of candidates in their provincial chapter limits for fielding them in next general elections with the consent of the central leadership and the selection committee in this regard.

Published in Daily Times, November 2^nd 2017.