New Delhi: Noor Jahan, Shahrukh Khan’s cousin who was planning on contesting the upcoming elections in Pakistan, has reportedly withdrawn her nomination papers.
Earlier this month, Noor Jahan had announced that she would be contesting elections from a constituency in Peshawar, where she lives, as an independent candidate. She had submitted nomination papers for the PK-77 constituency of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa assembly. However, the Bollywood star’s cousin has told The Express Tribune that she is withdrawing her nomination papers after requests from the Awami National Party, which her family has been associated with for years. Noor Jahan’s grandparents were followers of the Khudai Khidmatgar movement led by Ghaffar Khan, the grandfather of ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan, the daily reported.
“ANP leaders frequently visited my place with a request to withdraw my candidature in favour of the party’s candidate for the seat, Umer Mohmand,” Noor Jahan said. She has served as a councillor in the past and has played an active political role in the last few years.
“Our ancestors were affiliated with ANP. I had some reservations with the party which have been addressed by the leaders,” she told GeoTV.
One of her aims in contesting elections, Noor Jahan said, was to bring to the fore voices of the oppressed, particularly women. “I wanted to speak for the women of K-P on the floor of the assembly,” she said. “Passing resolutions for women’s rights does not make any difference. The party elders have assured me of their complete support in realising my aims.”
When Noor Jahan first announced her decision to contest in early June, Khan faced abuse on Twitter from right-wing Hindu nationalist trolls, who saw it as an opportunity to raise the ‘go to Pakistan’ chant again.