PTI names election commissioner in K-P

Party leaders say preparations have begun in earnest

PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chapter of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has formally named Dr Haider Ali as election commissioner to conduct party polls in the province.

Haider, an MPA, had been appointed to the post on May 19, but a formal announcement was made on Sunday, according to a PTI press release.

Also on May 19, the party had appointed Iftikhar Farooqi and Mir Nasarullah Rind as election commissioners for Sindh and Balochistan respectively.



On May 13, party chief Imran Khan had announced that his party would hold intra-party election on June 11, 2017. Then on May 16, Khan appointed Senator Azam Swati as the party’s Chief Election Commissioner and directed office-bearers to speed up preparations for party polls in all provinces.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Head of Central Media Department of PTI Iftikhar Durani said that preparations for the party elections had begun in earnest.

He said the election could not be held on time because of various reasons. Initially, he added, the party was busy protesting against the PML-N over the ‘rigging’ in election 2013, and then over the Panama Papers case.



Commenting on the appointment of Azam Swati as PTI’s Chief Election Commissioner, Durrani said he had been cleared of all allegations, adding that the party now reposed all confidence in him.

On September 2, 2015, the PTI’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter had served notices on Swati and other PTI office-bearers over alleged violation of party discipline and warned that if they were found to be working against the party’s policy, their membership could be cancelled.