PESHAWAR, JUNE  09 (DNA) – Amid reports of serious differences over tickets for certain constituencies, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Friday released a list of its candidates for the forthcoming 2018 general elections.

As expected, PTI’s old and senior leaders and close aide to Imran Khan were denied the party tickets for the election.

Besides either, former health and information minister, Shaukat Yousafzai and MNA Ali Mohammad Khan were refused the party tickets due to reasons best known to the party leadership.

On the other hand, some influential people of the party, including ex-chief minister Pervez Khattak, ex-speaker provincial assembly, Assad Qaisar, former education minister Muhammad Atif Khan, former health minister Shahram Khan Tarakai, former housing minister Dr Amjad Ali and former public health minister Shah Farman were given two tickets each to contest the election.

In rural Mardan, the PTI leadership delayed issuing party ticket for NA-22, where Ali Mohammad Khan had won previously and was considered a strong contender for the party ticket.

However, according to sources, recently some people joined the party and they had strong voices in the PTI provincial and central leadership and wanted them to get the party ticket.

“The party has divided into many groups there. Some of the old party people wanted Ali Mohammad Khan to get the PTI ticket, while others wanted to give to former education minister Iftikhar Mohmand who recently joined the party. And then there is another powerful faction which wanted the PTI ticket should go to the son of an elderly politician, Sarfaraz Khan who came to PTI from Pakistan People’s Party a few weeks ago,” explained a senior PTI leader on condition of anonymity.

Similarly, PTI provincial spokesman Shaukat Yousafzai was denied PTI ticket for PK-77 in Peshawar.

According to party sources, Shaukat had heavily invested in PK-77 Peshawar and wanted to contest from the same constituency.

However, the sources said some people in the party convinced Imran Khan to allot Shaukat Yousafzai the party ticket for his native Shangla district and hoped that he would be the best person to defeat Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz provincial president, Amir Muqam. Amir Muqam also belongs to Shangla district.

When reached, Shaukat Yousafzai told The News that he had refused to contest election from Shangla and had informed the party leadership about his decision.

Interestingly, some senior PTI leaders told The News that the party leadership to facilitate a PPP candidate and an old friend of Pervez Khattak, Zahir Ali Shah on PK-77 and PK-78, had fielded weak candidates on these two constituencies.

“Zahir Ali Shah is an old friend of Pervez Khattak and it is generally believed that PTI brought comparatively weak candidates on the two constituencies where Zahir Shah was supposed to contest. Now when Shaukat Yousafzai is out of the race, Zahir Shah is planning to contest from PK-77,” a PTI source said.

He said both the candidates were members of the town council in Peshawar. “It’s a kind of favour from PTI to the PPP candidates,” he said.

Similarly, the party didn’t issue party ticket NA-23 in Charsadda, whereas per PTI sources, Pervez Khattak wanted to issue the party ticket to his son in law while other people were in favour of Jihanzaib Dhaki to contest against Aftab Sherpao.

Similar was the situation on NA-32 in Kohat where some people were in favour of former MNA Sheharyar Afridi while others wanted to issue the ticket to former governor Lt-Gen (retired) Iftikhar Hussain Shah.

Sheharyar is strong and it is believed he may get the party ticket.

On NA-44 Bara in Khyber Agency, the party could not decide party ticket.

Former MNA Nasir Khan Afridi had applied but another known business family of Haji Mohammad Shah may get the party ticket.