LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday awarded Hammad Azhar, a party ticket for the by-elections in NA-126. It may be recalled that Azhar was elected from the same constituency in 2018 general elections. Commenting on his selection for the upcoming by-elections, he said he was grateful to PTI Chairman Imran Khan for showing trust in him, adding that the people of Lahore were behind their leader Imran Khan and he was optimistic that the PTI would give a crushing defeat to their opponents.

Meanwhile, the PTI chairman held a meeting with PTI leaders Asad Umar, Fawad Chaudhry, Farrukh Habib, Mussarat Jamshed Cheema, Hamad Azhar and others to discuss the elections following the indecision between the ECP and Punjab governor over the date of polls, disclosed sources. In the meeting, legal matters came under discussion while the option of constitutional role of President Arif Alvi was also discussed.

On this occasion, the former prime minister said that the date for elections was being derailed intentionally while the Election Commission of Pakistan and Punjab Governor Baligh-ur-Rehman were violating the Constitution.

Moreover, the PTI chief also reviewed the “jail bharo” (volunteer arrests) movement in a separate meeting with the movement’s focal person Senator Ijaz Chaudhry. The party finalised that arrests would be given in phases after the PTI chairman announces a launching date for the movement.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023