Leadership challenge: Heavyweights in the run for Punjab presidency

PTI organisations will be dissolved in a week

LAHORE:

The race for presidency of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Punjab chapter has heated up. With only a week left to the dissolution of the party offices ahead of the second intra-party polls, names of several hopefuls are being mentioned in the ranks.

A party meeting on Wednesday decided to dissolve the party organisation on January 15. A membership drive will be launched simultaneously. The party intends to run the drive for eight to 10 weeks before the intra-party polls will be held.

Two of the contenders for the post of PTI’s Punjab president have previously headed the chapter. Ejaz Chaudhry was elected in 2013 and served until report issued by the party’s election tribunal headed by Justice (r) Wajihuddin Ahmed concluded that the intra-party elections had been marred by irregularities. The tribunal also called for fresh polls.dissolution of elected bodies.

PTI chief Imran Khan dissolved party offices in May 2015 and announced an interim setup. Chaudhry, whose tenure was to end in March 2018, was replaced by former Punjab governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar who had recently left the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz over differences with the party’s leadership. He took charge as provincial chief organiser. Ejaz Chaudhry was asked to serve as political adviser to the party chairman.

Both Ejaz Chaudhry and Chaudhary Sarwar said they plan to contest for the top provincial slot but shied away from making a formal announcement in this regard.

Talking to The Express Tribuneboth aspirants expressed their desire to contest but shied from making a formal announcement in this regard.

“I have always stood for a democratic process in the party,” Sarwar said, adding that the decision to hold the intra-party elections was welcome.

Ejaz Chaudhry said the party had been without an elected set-up for a long time.  PTI’s candidate for NA-124 in 2013 general elections Waleed Iqbal is also in the race.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Iqbal said, “Several people, including myself, have decided to field candidates from the lowest to the top offices in the upcoming intra-party elections.”

Mindful that he is contesting against party heavyweights, he said candidates who truly represented and understood the PTI voters always had a fair shot.

Party insiders say Abdul Aleem Khan, the former Lahore district president and candidate for the NA-122 by election, is also another hopeful. They say Khan had initially expressed support for Sarwar, but now intended to run himself. No official announcement has been made by Khan in this regard.

“Internal meetings are expected to start from January 10 to forge alliances,” says a party official.

Much is still unclear about the mechanism. Sarwar, who is a member of the committee formed to present recommendations for the intra-party elections, confirms that direct elections will be held, but adds that other details are being ironed out.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 8^th, 2016.