ISLAMABAD: Former MNA Ali Muhammad Khan who was reportedly denied PTI’s ticket to contest elections from his rural Mardan constituency, has urged his supporters to stand by the party and beat the status quo.

In a message on Twitter on Saturday, Ali Muhammad Khan said that PTI must not suffer because of him.

“No, we all must vote for PTI. It’s our party, it must not suffer because of me,” Khan tweeted.

“Imran Khan has struggled for 22 long years against status quo and this is our last chance to break that status quo make Imran Khan the prime minister of Pakistan,” he wrote.

To reports that he was denied ticket, Khan said that it was a trivial matter. “I am thankful to Almighty God for the love I received from friends, supporters, media and Pakistanis,” he said.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Friday released a list of its candidates for the forthcoming 2018 general elections. 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.

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.

Senior PTI leaders told The News that some of the tickets were delayed due to differences among the party workers.

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.