PTI drops retired general’s name as candidate for PP-22

CHAKWAL - The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has dropped the name of Major General (r) Hafiz Masroor Ahmad as its candidate for a provincial assembly seat.

Hafiz Masroor Ahmad was earlier named as the party’s candidate for PP-22. The earlier decision came as a surprise because Ahmad was not affiliated with the PTI, reports Pakistan Today on Sunday.

Khan took the decision to remove the retired general’s name from the party’s ticket holders list after it generated substantial backlash on social media and from within the PTI’s ranks.

On Saturday, PTI workers protested outside Chairman PTI Imran Khan's residence, Bani Gala, in Islamabad over differences regarding issuing of tickets for the upcoming general election.

The workers claimed that the party has not issued tickets on basis of merit.

They rejected the issuance of ticket to Ghulam Sarwar Khan from NA-59 and demanded that Ajmal Raja be fielded from the Rawalpindi constituency.

However, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry asserted that the party has issued tickets to 'strong candidates'.

Earlier, PTI announced party candidates for the majority of the national and provincial assembly constituencies for the general election to be held on July 25.

PTI Chairman said that it is impossible to satisfy and accommodate all candidates and asserted that the tickets had been decided on merit.