KARACHI: Only two days ahead of Senate elections, two members of the provincial assembly from ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have announced that they will not vote for their party’s candidates, alleging that “a few candidates were given tickets only in exchange of money”.
Karim Bux Gabol a PTI MPA, who was elected from PS-100 Karachi East-II in the 2018 general elections — claimed that his party has given Senate tickets to candidates in exchange of money, adding that the Constitution of the country allows him to vote for any candidate.
“I am a PTI worker and will remain with party, but can’t vote for its candidates in Senate elections because the party has given the ticket to candidates in exchange of money,” he said in a video message. He added that he cannot support such candidates who have “purchased” a ticket.
Criticizing his own party for failing to deliver as per the people’s expectations, he said that Sindh was being given “step-motherly treatment” by the federal government.
Another MPA of the party from Sindh, Shaharyar Shar alleged that the party issued tickets for the Senate elections to candidates from Sindh without consulting the MPAs of the party.
“I raised the problems of Sindh in front of the prime minister and the governor but they did not listen,” he said. “They [PTI government] do not have any programme for Sindh.”
Shar said that he and others would not vote for the candidates selected by the prime minister, adding that the party’s MPAs from Sindh were “upset with them”.
He said PTI MPA Khurram Sher Zaman’s statement about him and other MPAs being kidnapped was false. “Who can kidnap us? I am right here in my house,” he said.
The video message of the PTI MPA has come at a time when the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have claimed to be in touch with members of assemblies belonging to the ruling party.
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