Daily Times

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf village councillors and nazimeen from the Pajagi Union council in PK-8 have threatened to quit the political party if party tickets for contesting bye-polls on the district council seat were not awarded on merit.

Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, Muhammad Saeed advocate, along with his supporters said, the PTI ticket for the district council constituency, Pajagi union council had been awarded to one Daud Afridi who had contested the last local governments (LG) elections as an independent against the PTI nominee.

He accused the PTI committee comprising Provincial Minister Shah Farman, Mehmood Jan MPA and District Nazim Arbab Asim, of violating merit and awarding ticket to a ‘non-deserving’ person ignoring his (Saeed) sacrifices and his long affiliation with the party.

He said a group in the party was harming the PTI by pushing the old and sincere workers to the wall. Saeed advocate said he was affiliated with the PTI from 2005 onwards and applied for the PK-8 elections in 2013 and then in the 2015 LG polls but was not awarded a ticket, but he did not contest the polls as an independent candidate and supported the party nominee.

Terming Imran Khan his ideal he said he remained loyal to the party in odd times. He appealed to the PTI chief Imran Khan to take notice of the issue and order awarding tickets on merit.

To a question he said about 20 to 25 councillors and seven village council nazimeen from the area had warned of quitting the PTI if he was not awarded the ticket. He might contest the coming election as an independent candidate if the party did not award him a ticket, he added.