Chitrali youths ignored by PTI in ticket allocation

CHITRAL, April 2: Though the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) proudly claims to be a party of the youth and had also announced that 25 per cent of its tickets would be allotted to young people, there are complaints and disappointment among the youth regarding the ticket allocations.  In Chitral, no youth was considered for the party ticket though a student leader, Shafiq ul-Mulk, had filed nominations. But the tickets were given to aged people most of them new entrants to the PTI. However, the party allotted tickets to Abdul Latif for NA-32, Sultan Mohammad for PK-89 Chitral-I, and Rehmat Ghazi Khan PK-90 Chitral-II. All these candidates are over 60 years of age. Besides, despite promising, Imran Khan also sidelined the Kalash community. During Imran Khan’s visit to Chitral last year, the people of Chitral had demanded that his party should also give a ticket to the Kalash community. Today there are rumours that the PTI has not included Wazir Zada, one of the active Kalash youth, in the list. Thousands of people from UC Ayun, including Kalash valleys, and Chitral are not only disturbed but also disappointed over the matter. The PTI will lose support of the youth if it continues ignoring the youth on ticket allocation. When contacted, Wazir Zada said: “I am in Islamabad since yesterday and there is an important meeting of the PTI parliamentary board and I am still expecting that the PTI would not do injustice with me.” Sartaj Ahmad, ex-Tehsil Nazim Chitra, said during the meeting of Chitral chamber of commerce with Imran Khan in Chitral he had requested him to give a ticket to the Kalash minority. He had promised me that the PTI will work to alleviate the Kalasha people’s deprivation by awarding priority seat to the community. He said the PTI can win our hearts if it allotted ticket to Wazir Zada Kalash. He is a young and well-known political figure in Kalash and a well-known social worker. A number of youth, including ex-secretary PTI UC Ayun Ghoar, said: “I am feeling very disappointed that the PTI could not keep its promise,” he added. If the PTI failed to enlist Wazir Zada for the minority seat, we have no way to talk to the people and will face embarrassment in the public.–Luke Rehmat reported the Kalash relatd story]]>