MULTAN-As the rumours regarding former federal minister Malik Sikandar hayat Bosan's joining PTI are making rounds in the town, the local leaders of the PTI expressed strong reaction and warned that it could create serious cracks in party's Multan chapter if Bosan is accepted by the party.
About a dozen PTI leaders including ticket-seekers from NA-154 and PP-213 warned on Saturday they would fully resist Bosan's bid to join PTI and lodge protest until his all attempts are completely foiled. "He was the man who stabbed the party in the back just ahead of 2013 election. He was granted party ticket but he became a turncoat at eleventh hour," they recalled in a media release.
PTI sources claim that Mr Bosan is willing to contest election on PTI ticket and Jahangir Tareen as well as Ishaq Khakwani are trying to convince party leadership to accept him back. A strong backlash is expected from the local workers and leaders against his joining the party.
Ticket seekers from NA-154 including Malik Asim Dehar, Ch Khalid Javed Warraich and former MPA Malik Ishaq Bucha, PP-211 Hafiz Malik Allah Ditta Kashif Bosan, Capt (r) Nasir Mahay, Malik Adnan Dogar, Munawar Ali Qureshi, Ghazal Ghazi, Musarrat Ara, Zaheen Kanwal, Dr Rubina Akhtar and Qadir Nawaz Sangi have unanimously opposed the idea of Mr Bosan's joining PTI. "His frustrated attempts to join PTI have caused a serious unrest in workers. We appeal to Chairman Imran Khan not to distort the beautiful face of the party by taking such ugly personalities on board," they demanded.
They pointed out that Sikandar Bosan was party of kitchen cabinet of the PML-N till May 31, 2018 and even he had filed application for PML-N ticket. They said that all rejected elements had come to know that the NA-154 was going to get liberation from the occupation of Bosan and Gilani and this constituency had become a stronghold of Imran Khan. "He has no interest with the party ideology or programme rather he has seen PTI's popularity and he wants to join in to make away with this seat again," they claimed. They said that the PTI workers were awake now and they would stand in way of such opportunists like an iron wall.
They warned that the effigies of Bosan would be burnt at all roads and in all union councils of the constituency if he did not give up his attempts to join PTI. "If the party leadership does not disown him, we'll set up a hunger strike camp at Nawan Shehr Chowk while thousands of workers will march towards Bani Gala to make Imran Khan aware of the truth," they declared.
Despite repeated attempts, the former minister could not be contacted for a comment as his phone was continuously switched off.
MMA MEETING
TOMORROW
The MMA has started devising its policy for South Punjab for upcoming elections as the President of MMA Punjab Mian Maqsood Ahmad has called a meeting of office-bearers of the alliance on Monday.
The meeting will be attended by the divisional and district presidents as well as secretary generals from Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan and Bahawalpur divisions. South Punjab media coordinator of MMA Kanwar Muhammad Siddiq told media that issues like election strategy in South Punjab and the names of the potential candidates would be discussed during the meeting. He added that the meeting would also review arrangements for MMA's upcoming public meeting to be held at Qila Qasim Bagh Stadium on June 29.