Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Qaiser expressed reservations regarding the party’s selection of candidates for the imminent senate elections, indicating uncertainty regarding the approval of these candidates by the party’s founder, Imran Khan. Qaiser articulated these concerns during an interview with a news channel .
When questioned about his satisfaction with the authenticity of the Senate candidates and whether Khan had endorsed them, Qaiser responded by stating, “I am unaware of Imran Khan’s approval, and therefore, I refrain from commenting on it.”
While he acknowledged his knowledge of the candidates nominated for the Senate, he remained ambiguous regarding Khan’s involvement in their selection.
Additionally, Qaiser emphasized the stature of PTI leader Omer Sarfraz Cheema, highlighting his significant contributions to the party and asserting his entitlement to a Senate ticket.
Qaiser’s remarks surfaced amidst internal discord among senior party figures and disagreements concerning pivotal decisions, notably the decision to form an alliance with the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) following the February 8 elections.
The party’s strategic alignment with the SIC post-elections, aimed at securing seats designated for women and minorities, faced criticism from PTI leader Sher Afzal Marwat, who asserted that the party incurred substantial losses due to erroneous decisions.
Marwat specifically cited the withdrawal from an electoral alliance with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Shirani (JUI-Shirani) and subsequent engagement with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-Nazriati (PTI-N) as a detrimental move.
Furthermore, Marwat identified the alliance with Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) to secure reserved seats as another strategic misstep, attributing this decision to threats received following considerations of an electoral alliance with MWM.
Subsequently, PTI senior leader Senator Barrister Ali Zafar disclosed the party’s initial inclination towards aligning with MWM for reserved seats, which was then revised in favor of the SIC following purported discussions with Imran Khan in Adiala jail.
Zafar recounted Khan’s affirmation of not altering the decision when queried about the sequence of events.
In a separate development, PTI leader Mian Aslam Iqbal unveiled the party’s slate of candidates for the upcoming Senate elections scheduled for April 2nd.
Among the announced candidates are Sanam Javed for the women’s seat, Dr. Yasmin Rashid for the technocrat seat representing Punjab, and Hamid Khan and Zulfi Bukhari for general seats. Additionally, Cheema and Colonel (Retd) Ejaz Hussain Minhas are slated to contest on the general seats.
