ISLAMABAD, April 29: As the elections for the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly are drawing nearer, PML-N’s aggressive campaign launched much earlier to drive edge is waning because of the Panama Leaks.
Political sources on Thursday told The Nation that PML-N’s main political rival, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf of Imran Khan was now taking lead in the election campaign which could prove a serious blow to PML-N and PPP. On the other hand, PML-N which is contesting the polls for 49-member legislative assembly without electoral alliance with any party had launched an aggressive campaign by holding several public meetings, but it was waning largely because of the Panama leaks. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is heading a powerful 18-member parliamentary board, but his party has left the election campaign after the release of the Panama leaks.
“Now the campaign is being led by the local PML-N leaders who do not seem effective to counter the propaganda by the rivals,” a senior PTI leader, associated with the party campaign in the AJK polls, said.
PTI Chairman Imran Khan had also constituted a four-member committee, comprising Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Siafullah Niazi, Ghulam Sarwar and Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry, to look after the party election campaign for the AJK Legislative Assembly.
The Azad Kashmir chapter of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has emerged a political force, especially after former AJK Prime Minister Barrister Sultan Mehmood’s joining the party.
The PML-N which decided to contest the AJK elections expected to be held in June suffered a major blow after it failed to strike an electoral deal with Muslim Conference of former AJK Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan.
Sardar Attique had refused to enter into an electoral alliance with PML-N after some leaders of the Nawaz party of AJK chapter opposed the move allegedly because of their political differences with the Muslim Conference chief.
According to sources, a few central leaders of PML-N approached Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan of Muslim Conference to discuss prospects of an electoral alliance, but their efforts failed because of deep political differences.
One of the differences, sources claimed, was PML-N’s list of its candidates it wanted to field in the constituencies which were previously considered as the strongholds of Muslim Conference.
Imran Khan’s party is already active in the arena to drive maximum leverage as former Prime Minister Barrister Sultan Mehmood is propagating that PTI will form the next AJK government.
On the other hand, the ruling PPP is also making tall claims of taking another stint on the basis of its AJK government performance. Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majid also seems quite confident to win the majority seats.
In the 49-member AJK Assembly, PTI has only one seat which is held by Barrister Sultan Mehmood, while AJK PPP has 29 seats.
The PML-N has 11 seats, Muslim Conference five, MQM two and Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan one while the rest are held by independents.-Agencies
- Latest
- Trending
