LAHORE: The Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan-Noorani (JUP-N) announced its support for the PML-N candidate for NA-131 (Lahore-X), Khwaja Saad Rafique, here on Sunday.

Late Shah Ahmed Noorani’s son Awais Noorani announced the support at a press conference.

Interestingly, the JUP-N is one of the five constituents of the religious alliance Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA). Awais is a central leader of the alliance whose nominee Waqar Nadeem Warraich is also in the run for the seat, and he urged the MMA to withdraw its candidate.

The announcement came hours after a splinter group of the JUP-N, led by Qari Zawwar Bahadur, announced its backing for Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan in the constituency.

Noorani said that the party would actively run election campaign for Mr Rafique and lauded the former railway minister’s services for improving performance of the institution. Justifying his party’s decision of preferring the PML-N over PTI, he alleged that the latter was spoiling moral values and introducing a culture of curses and abuses. He said Imran Khan promoted capering in the name of revolution and did nothing except hurting self-esteem of others.

Replying to a question about banned outfits being allowed to contest the polls, he said the method adopted for mainstreaming undemocratic forces was not right.

Saad Rafique said on the occasion that the verdict against PML-N leader Hanif Abbasi was similar to the decisions given by courts in Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif hijacking case.

The anti-narcotics court handed down life term to Abbasi in ephedrine quota case late on Saturday, just four days before the general elections. Mr Abbasi, set to contest the upcoming election for NA-60 Rawalpindi against Sheikh Rashid, faced charges of misusing 500 kilogramme of the controlled chemical, which he obtained for his company, Gray Pharmaceutical, in 2010.

The former minister said that questions would certainly be raised if verdicts would be given late at night.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2018