In a surprising and dramatic move, PPP-nominated candidate from Mirpur City LA-III electoral constituency Ch. Muhammad Ashraf announced here on Saturday to boycott the scheduled July 21 General Elections in AJK as a protest against the absolute hostile, negative, hypocritical and insincere behavior of Prime Minister Ch. Abdul Majeed towards him as well as his election campaign in the constituency.
The furious and dissident Ch. Ashraf, also sitting Special Assistant to AJK Prime Minister and former City Mayor announced to boycott contesting the AJK Legislative Assembly Elections while addressing a crowded press conference at his Central Political Office-cum-resident – the Naangi House here Saturday afternoon.
He was flanked by his party’s local associates including former city Administrator Khawaja Sajid Mahmood, Ch. Waqas Ashraf, Asif Mir, Zaka Joshi, Tariq Hamza, Mirza Rashed Beig, Choudhri Sawaria and Usmaan Munir Sanwala Ch. Advocate.
Ashraf made it clear that he has only boycotted contesting the elections, but have not left the party. “I have informed the party’s top brass by taking them into confidence prior to his decision to boycott the polls – including the Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and In charge for the party’s AJK affairs Faryaal Talpur about my decision to boycott contesting the polls as a protest against the continued negative and hostile attitude of Prime Minister Ch. Abdul Majeed, who also heads AJK Chapter of the PPP, right from the first day the party’s top leadership granted the party mandate to him to jump in the scheduled elections arena being candidate of PPP in the constituency of Mirpur City LA – III”, he declared.
He added that the party’s top leadership raised no any objection over his decision of leaving the ground of the elections fight.
Ch. Ashraf thanked the party’s top leadership of granting him party ticket to contest the scheduled AJK elections from Mirpur city under the fold of PPP.
Lambasting Ch. Abdul Majeed, the incumbent Prime Minister of the outgoing PPP-led coalition government in Azad Jammu Kashmir and central President of PPP AJK for his alleged negative role towards both the party and his (Ashraf) person, the raging Ch. Ashraf branded Ch. Majeed as the hidden enemy No. 1 of both the party (PPP) and his person as well as the enemy of Mirpur city constituency – through his blatant negative acts and deeds during his (Majeed) entire rule.
Ashraf categorically declared that the high gravity of the hypocrisy and insincerity of Ch. Majeed could be assessed through the fact that he was confined only to his person and he was not single person sincere to the party’s fold and ranks, he blamed.
Ashraf continued that although he was granted the party ticket in the by-elections in the same Mirpur city constituency LA-III held last year, the Prime Minister Majeed stated hatching conspiracies against him and the party’s (PPP) interests because of, what he called, his traditional hypocritical role during the by-polls and that led to his defeat in the elections.
He recalled adding that Majeed’s hypocritical role against his own party (PPP) and his (Ashraf) person caused his vote bank to drop to 11 thousand as compared to 17 thousand he (Ashraf) had secured in the previous AJK General Elections held in 2011 from the same Mirpur city LA-III constituency. (APP)
