Main Political Parties Still Undecided On Awarding Tickets In Multan

Though the deadline for awarding tickets to candidates running for national and provincial assemblies election, is June 29, PPP, PTI and PML-N were yet to decide their candidates in some constituencies in Multan.

MULTAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jun, 2018 ) :Though the deadline for awarding tickets to candidates running for national and provincial assemblies election, is June 29, PPP, PTI and PML-N were yet to decide their candidates in some Constituencies in Multan.

The city of saints has always been the centre of South Punjab politics from where bigwigs have been enjoying key slots of almost all democratic governments in the past.

In NA-154 Multan-I, the push and pull between ex-federal minister Sikandar Bosan and Ahmad Hassan Daher for PTI ticket ended on Tuesday night when the party announced awarding ticket to latter after excluding former's name from PTI tickets holders list, a couple of days back.

On the other hand, the Pakistan Muslim League-N was yet to finalise ticket in the constituency, while Abdul Qadir Gilani, son of former prime minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani is contesting from Pakistan People's Party.

In NA-155 Multan-II, none other than PPP is undecided about party ticket, wherein Sheikh Tariq Rasheed from PML-N and Amir Dogar from PTI are contesting elections.

Shah Mehmmod Qureshi and Amir Saeed Ansari are PTI and PML-N candidates in NA-156, Multan-III whereas PPP is still pondering over its candidate from the constituency.

In NA-157 Multan-IV, Ali Musa Gilani, another son of Yusuf Raza Gilani, Makhdoom Zain Hussain Qureshi, son of Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Abdul Ghaffar Dogar are in field from PPP, PTI and PML-N, respectively.

Ex-PM Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani is contesting from NA-158 (Shujabad) Multan-V and will face former Federal minister Syed Javid Ali Shah from N and Ibrahim Khan from PTI.

NA-159 (Jalalpurwala), Multan-VI, has become another difficult constituency for N league from where nomination papers of PML-N aspirant Dewan Ashiq Bokhari have been rejected on having fake degree by election tribunal on Tuesday. Rana Qasim Noon is PTI candidate from the constituency while Zulqarnain Bokhari is candidate from PML-N. PPP has to decide its candidate by today evening.

Both Gilani and Qureshi families have fielded their third generation in to 2018 elections in Multan in the shape of Abdul Qadir, Ali Musa, Ali Haider Gilani and Zain Qureshi, keeping in view their religious family background but time will tell whether or not this card works or not, for now.

Educational services rendered by elders of Gilani family for Multanites besides development projects carried by Yusuf Raza Gilani in PPP government in 2008 may give the family an edge, whereas Qureshi family has innumerable devotees across Pakistan, especially in Sindh.

Multan looks like a city of Sindh at the Urs of Hazrat Bahuddin Zakariya and Hazrat Shah Rukn-I- Alam ( RA) when thousand of Sindhi devotees of the saints throng city and Shah Mehmood was custodian of both the shrines.

In most of political history of Multan, both families have been arch rivals. These remained in alliance for some time when Shah Mehmmod Qureshi was part of PPP before switching to PTI.

In short, though competitions are expected in some NA and PA constituencies in Multan which could be neck and neck for all the three main political parties, and PPP may emerge asa dark horse in 2018 elections despite its poor performance in 2013 general and in somebye-elections.