PML-N set to ‘lose a major trade group’
LAHORE, April 30: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is set to see a split in its traditional support base, as one of the major trade bodies has decided to side with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The transformation being propelled by Assad Umar, a revered figure of the corporate world who has joined the PTI, and All-Pakistan Anjuman Tajiran (APAT) central general secretary and disgruntled PML-N leader Naeem Mir will be evident at a convention in the provincial capital on May 7.
As political activities by the pro-PML-N Qaumi Tajir Ittehad have been invisible so far, businessmen from PP-147 and PP-148 — the two Punjab Assembly constituencies, which fall under the National Assembly constituency of NA-122 from where the PTI chairman is in the run, will announce their support for Imran Khan during the convention.
The cricketer-turned-politician will be brought to the venue in a horse-driven carriage amid beat of drums and 11 black goats will be sacrificed, says a member of the team organising the show.
“Confronting repeated PML-N attacks on our base camp [youth] through government-funded schemes like laptops and solar lamps for students and youth sports festival, we planned to hit back by working at League’s conventional electorate of traders,” a PTI official told Dawn. The plan will serve to neutralise PML-N’s ‘likely’ efforts to use traders as a tool against the PTI, he added.
Umar, who has been in contact with the APAT leadership for the last one year, has already got a dinner arranged by the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) for Imran Khan. The PTI chairman explained his party’s economic agenda at the so far only reception thrown by the FPCCI for any politician contesting the 2013 election.
An FPCCI leader, however, said they had invited Shahbaz Sharif to their platform to discuss the problems facing the community. On his refusal, the invitation was diverted to Imran Khan.
The basic reason behind the change in the mindset of traders is stated to be PML-N’s opposition to creation of small chambers and refusal to grant party tickets to trade representatives for the May 11 general election.
Mir, who revolted against the PML-N because of absence of democracy within the party, says with the permission of all APAT chapters negotiations have been on with the PTI for the last many months on representation of traders in the elected houses.
According to him, the PTI has given tickets to two traders in Lahore alone — Yateem Khana Board chief Mehr Wajid for PP-150 and Township Board president Shabbir Sial for PP-153.
Shahid Ghafoor Piracha, Ajmal Baloch, Shahid Rasool and Amjad Nazeer from Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Jhelum and Sheikhupura, respectively have applied for PML-N ticket. Former adviser on trade Muhammad Ali Mian, Gulberg traders’ leader Sarfraz Munj and Hall Road and PML-N traders wing president Babar Mehmood were hopefuls from Lahore, but none of them was obliged.
Mehmood admitted that traders had been ignored by his party in award of tickets, but downplayed APAT leaders’ joining the PTI. He said the association was divided in four to five groups.
Of them, he claims, the groups of Khalid Pervaiz (Urdu Bazaar), Ashraf Bhatti (APAT Lahore president) and Malik Khalid (Ram Gali) are with the PML-N.
Although Wapda record mentions five million commercial meters, the APAT boasts of having eight million members.
Asked why pro-PML-N traders are not seen in party’s election campaign, Mehmood says they have so far been working with candidates in their constituencies. Now a central office of party chief Nawaz Sharif is being set-up on The Mall that will be formally opened by Maryam Nawaz in a couple of days, he adds.
Source :
http://dawn.com/2013/05/01/pml-n-set-to-lose-a-major-trade-group/
Shows the difference between the two.
