ISLAMABAD: PTI has reversed course and nominated Barrister Gohar Ali Khan for the party’s top position once more as a result of its founder Imran Khan’s imprisonment, creating a dilemma for the party about leadership.
Following his election as PTI chairman in December 2023, Mr. Gohar gained Mr. Khan’s support in intraparty elections that resulted in the Election Commission of Pakistan stripping the party of its “bat” symbol.
The party said last week that Barrister Ali Zafar would be Mr. Khan’s choice for chairman of the board and that new elections would take place on March 3.
Speaking to reporters outside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, Barrister Gohar had declared Mr. Zafar’s candidacy.
According to party sources, Mr. Zafar declined to take on the role of chairman.
Independent sources were unable to verify whether Mr. Zafar deliberately declined to file nomination papers or whether the party prevented him from doing so.
“All the information you need to submit nomination papers is included in the newsletter we sent out. The party’s chief election commissioner, Raoof Hasan, stated, “I don’t have anything else to share.”
Details reveal that only Mr. Gohar filed his candidacy for the top position by the Sunday, 3 p.m. deadline for nomination papers.
Omar Ayub Khan has filed nomination papers for the post of general secretary, accompanied by a panel of fifteen members.
Mr. Khan has nominated Dr. Yasmin Rashid, who is incarcerated, to head the party’s provincial branch in Punjab. Thus are Dr. Munir Baloch in Balochistan, Ali Amin Gandapur in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Haleem Adil Sheikh in Sindh.
Although Mr. Khan’s favored candidates are almost certain to win, other panels have also filed candidacy papers in order to satisfy ECP’s requirements and prevent any election from going on without opposition.
Nomination papers have been submitted by Naveed Anjum from KP, Muhammad Aslam from Balochistan, and Ashraf Qureshi from Sindh, according to information provided by PTI.
Asad Hanif and Muhammad Khan Madni have filed papers to be nominated for their panels in Punjab. Additionally running in Sindh will be a panel led by Khawand Bakhsh Ghulam Muhammad. Five panels are submitting nomination papers for Balochistan.
With the former prime minister’s nomination, a senior party official informed Dawn that Mr. Gohar’s success is guaranteed. The official wished to remain anonymous.
The PTI leader stated that this election, unlike the one that took place in Peshawar in December 2023, will take place in Islamabad as well as the four provincial capitals, and that more than six million party members will be able to cast ballots in person.
The polls would be overseen by four provincial commissioners, and the victors would be contacted the next day. The results would be announced by 8 p.m. on March 3.
SOURCE: DAWN NEWS
