Despite facing denial of registration by the Election Commission, the parliamentary board of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for the forthcoming Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections on Tuesday completed interviews of more than 50 aspirants for nine constituencies in Muzaffarabad division.
According to a party spokesperson, interviews for candidates from the Poonch division would be held in Rawalakot on Wednesday, while aspirants from Mirpur division and refugee constituencies would be interviewed in Mirpur on May 23 and 24, respectively.
The spokesperson said the parliamentary board would forward its recommendations to the central leadership for final approval after completion of the interview process. Loyalty to Imran Khan, merit, capability and commitment to public service would remain key criteria for awarding party tickets, he added.
The party also intended to bring forward a strong and capable new leadership in AJK while giving due importance to workers’ opinion, the spokesperson said.
Addressing the meeting, Mr Niazi described Imran Khan as a “benefactor and ambassador” of Kashmiris and said the large turnout of ticket aspirants reflected the party’s popularity.
“We will come up to the expectations of Imran Khan, the party leadership and workers. There will be no compromise on ideology, loyalty, merit and transparency,” he said, adding that the party intended to field energetic young leadership in the elections.
Mr Niazi also alleged that attempts were being made to keep PTI-AJK out of the electoral process by denying its registration in the Election Commission.
“This is an unconstitutional and undemocratic act. Such an exercise will not be accepted as an election but as a selection,” he said, urging the Election Commission to ensure a level playing field for all political parties to guarantee transparent and impartial elections.
Tariq Naqash
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