LAHORE: PML-N General Secretary Ahsan Iqbal and Punjab President Rana Sanaullah have said that a candidate’s ability to win votes in his or her district is more important than even loyalty and commitment to the party. This is part of their plan for the upcoming general elections.
The two leaders were talking to the press after a meeting of their party on Saturday to decide how to give out party tickets. They also said that former PML-N MNA Daniyal Aziz would be given a “show-notice.” Aziz recently said that the PML-N general secretary couldn’t stop price increases in the country.
It didn’t matter to the former MNA from Narowal; he stayed defiant and told his party’s general leader to own up to his mistakes. The notice of show cause wasn’t mentioned in the party’s statement that came out after the meeting, which I liked.
Nawaz Sharif, the top leader of the PML-N, led the party’s first parliamentary board meeting. This was the first step in choosing candidates for the upcoming elections on February 8. Shehbaz Sharif, the president of the PML-N, also led the meeting at the party headquarters in Lahore.
The main purpose of the meeting was to do final talks with candidates from Sargodha Division who want to be elected to both the National Assembly and the provincial assembly.
The former interior minister talked at length about the meeting and said that candidates were chosen for about 70% to 80% of the division’s seats during the seven-hour meeting. He said that “minor disputes” would be solved by reaching agreement at the lowest level of the party, putting an end to rumors of splits.
Iqbal said that the parliamentary board had interviews with more than 100 candidates and looked at their profiles, how they fit in with the party, and whether they were qualified for the spot for the party. People from all walks of life had tried to get the party ticket, he said. “This shows that people have put their hopes in the party.”
He laid out the next meetings of the house, which would end on December 19. He said they would choose candidates based on their skills, how well they fit in with the party, and most importantly, how likely they are to win.
According to Sana, “electability is the key condition of election” means that a candidate can run from a seat. “Before killing a candidate, the PML-N will check to see if they have what it takes to win.”
When asked about worries within the party about giving tickets to new members, he said that party tickets to electables would only be given out after talking with the party’s local leadership.
Iqbal went on to say that if there are loyal, committed workers for the party in a district where they can win, they will be given priority. He also said that if there was a vacancy, tickets would be given out after consulting with the local leadership.
Sana said that the parliamentary board had chosen to give tickets to its hardworking, dedicated, and “winning” employees, which was already clear.
Iqbal said that the PML-N was the first party to start getting ready for the polls, which gave them the credit for leading the election drive.
When asked about the PPP’s worries about the PML-N’s rumored plan to change the 18th Amendment, Iqbal said that the PML-N had no plans to get rid of it. “In fact, the 18th Amendment isn’t finished; it gives power from the Center to the provinces, but that’s all it does. There’s no word of any more devolution.”
Iqbal said that they would finish giving power to lower levels of government by giving it to the local government. “This is something our party wants to do.”
When asked about the PPP’s criticism of the PML-N policy, Sana said that they could get more votes by being against the PML-N. “I hope that this political rivalry stays civil and that the PPP doesn’t use bad language. They should follow the rules of politics.”
The head of the PML-N in Punjab also said that Aziz has been given a “show-cause” notice by the party for not following party rules. If someone gave a statement against Iqbal, he said he didn’t know why. He also said the accusations against him had nothing to do with his government.
Iqbal allegedly said that Daniyal was angry at him because he wouldn’t give a ticket in Daniyal’s district to a person who often betrays his party.
In an interview with The Express Tribune, Aziz denied having a personal grudge against Iqbal and told the former planning minister that he should present the name of a single candidate he had suggested for the party ticket.
Regarding Iqbal’s claim that inflation and price increases were not caused by his old ministry, Daniyal shared a link to a news release sent out by the Planning, Development, and Special Initiative Ministry following a meeting of the national body in charge of controlling and monitoring prices.
Daniyal said that Iqbal was still in charge and was leading talks where people from all ministries were present. “Why didn’t he talk to the people from the ministries that were responsible about the dollar-rupee parity, high interest rates, or rising gas or electricity prices?” What did he do at that time?”
He said that Iqbal’s showing was what made his party look bad. He said that Iqbal should have written a White Paper to explain who was at fault instead of blaming the PTI for the high inflation. “Just blaming the PTI for inflation isn’t enough to get people to vote,” Aziz said.
He told the party that they should know about his services. He said he hadn’t seen the note when asked about it. When asked again if he would answer it or not, he said that the message came from Sana and that she said it while standing next to “Rana” Ahsan Iqbal. He said, “These Rana’s.”
