GUJRAT: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf has awarded tickets to four women in Gujrat as the close kin of two former PTl lawmakers who had earlier announced to quit the party are also among the aspirants. Surprisingly, no former law-maker was given party ticket from the district Of the women aspirants, Sumaira Elahi, a the sister of PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Rehana Abbas, another close kin of the Chaudhrys, have been nominated as PTl candidates from PP-32 (Kunjah) and NA-64 (Gujrat-Kunjah), respectively, in place of former Punjab chief minister Chaudhary Parvez Elahi and his son Moonis Elahi.

The nomination papers of three members of the Elahi family (Parvez, Qaisara and Moonis) could not be restored at the appellant tribunal level after which the party made the announcement.

Aafia Noreen, the wife of former PML-Q MPA Shujaat Nawaz Ajnala (who was reportedly picked up by some law enforcement agencies) has also been nominated PTl candidate for PP-29 (TandaKarianwala) whereas Zahra Ikhlas, also hailing from the Parvez Elahi camp, is nominee for PP 34 (Dinga).

Noman Ashraf, the nephew of ex-PTl MPA Chaudhary Arshad who had quit the party, has been given ticket for PP-27 (Sara-iAlamgir) whereas Ali Liaqat Bhadar, the son of ex-PTl MPA Liaqat Bhadar, is nominated for PP-33 (Lalamusa).

A former union council Nazim Shahid Raza Kotla is given ticket from PP-28 (Kotla) whereas two-time former ticket holder of PTl Chaudhary Muhammad Ilyas is again awarded with ticket for NA-62 (Sara-iAlamgir-Kharian-Kotla) as he had previously been the runners up in 2013 and 2018 against the PML-N MNA Abid Raza Kotla.

A renowned political activist Tanveer Gondal has been given PTl ticket for PP-30 (Jalalpur Jattan) as Mr Gondal has once been a Gujrat tehsil PML-N president and also served as chairman of the district zakat committee during the PML-N government in Punjab (2013-18).

Sajid Yousaf Channi has been given the ticket for NA-63 (Jalalpur Jattan-Tanda) and Mudassar Raza Machiana is nominee for PP-31 (Gujrat city).

It is learnt that Wajahat Husnain Shah, the nephew of former PTl MNA Faizul Hassan Shah of Kulewal Syedan who had announced to quit the PTI, has reportedly been given the PTl ticket from NA-65 (Lalamusa-Dinga) but the report is yet to be confirmed.-Correspondent