MULTAN: Prominent politician Javed Hashmi declared on Monday that he was withdrawing from the election in favor of Aamir Dogar, who would run in the NA-149 seat on February 8 and is supported by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Hashmi, a previous member of both the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the PTI, declared in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that he was “throwing my political weight behind the Tehreek-e-Insaf and Imran Khan and withdrawing from the elections.”
The seasoned politician was scheduled to run as an independent from Multan’s constituency; nevertheless, his departure might potentially benefit the PTI, whose candidates are running on alternative symbols following the removal of their distinctive “bat” symbol.
On the PML-N ticket in 2008 and the PTI ticket in 2013, Hashmi had won twice from NA-149. But he lost the seat in a 2014 by-election after quitting the PTI, and Dogar won it instead. Additionally, he had chosen not to seek for office in 2018.
Despite having strong ties to the PML-N, Hashmi stated that he supports PTI founder Imran Khan because both he and his party are going through difficult times. “I supported Nawaz Sharif when Imran Khan was the ‘blue-eyed’ person.”
The senior lawmaker declared that Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, two prominent PTI figures, were the targets of a false cipher case. “Shah Mahmood Qureshi is not a traitor; I know him.”
In the cipher case, Qureshi and Khan are incarcerated because the prosecution claims the PTI leaders exploited the confidential material for their own political advantage.
Afterwards, Hashmi said that Nawaz had made “compromises” in order to gain power. He bemoaned the fact that in Pakistan, might really does win out, saying, “People want to know when their problems will be fixed. But I’m at a loss for a response for them.
Khan founded the PTI, which gained prominence in the center in 2018 before being overthrown in a no-confidence vote in April 2022. Since then, it has been in shock due to the consecutive losses.The party has promised not to forgo its recognizable election symbol and boycott the polls, nevertheless. With the removal of the ‘bat’ insignia, each of its candidates will be running under a distinct sign.
