Pakistan: Imran Khan-led PTI will kick off its electoral campaign in Punjab tomorrow

Asad Umar, the secretary general of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), stated on Sunday that the party will begin its election campaign for the Punjab elections on Monday amid the election’s uncertainties.

Taking to his official Twitter handle, Asad Umar stated, “Tehreek-e-Insaf will officially launch its election campaign from tomorrow. They (PDM) may not be ready but we are ready.” Earlier this week, the PTI finalised a list of 297 candidates for the elections.

PTI’s announcement of launching the election campaign comes despite uncertainty over the polls. The PTI finalised the list of candidates after the party’s chairman Imran Khan interviewed all party candidates in person to uphold merit in distributing party tickets. He held one-on-one interviews with all candidates from 6-18 April to select nominees for polls, as per the Geo News report. However, the issuance of tickets has not gone well within the PTI as many high-profile leaders of the party were not given tickets.

Imran Khan has been planning to include PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Asad Umar in the review committee to address objections raised by party members, Geo News reported citing sources. On Thursday, the PTI set up a four-member committee to address objections regarding the issuance of party tickets.

The panel included Musaddiq Abbasi, Ijaz Chaudhary, Rai Hassan Nawaz, and Aoon Abbas. However, after backlash from party workers and supporters, PTI chairman Imran Khan is likely to involve some senior members to make a decision over the appeals regarding the issuance of tickets, as per the Geo News report.The Election Commission of Pakistan (PTI) is waiting for funds from Pakistan’s federal government to hold elections, as per the news report. Earlier this month, the Pakistan Supreme Court directed the ECP to conduct elections in Punjab on 14 May.