PTI Punjab Wing at odds over restructuring

Committee formed to include south Punjab in party structure through amendment in the Constitution

LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Punjab Wing leaders are at odds over party restructuring as nominations for key posts are seeing major changes without prior announcement.

Prime Minister and party chief Imran Khan has been presented a recommendation according to which at least one of the seats either of the provincial president or the general secretary should have a member of parliament so that party structure is also represented in parliament.

It is for this reason that the nomination for the provincial president seat rested with Ejaz Chaudhry, but now Faiz Kamoka, member of National Assembly from Faisalabad, is also being considered for the post, while MNA Ibrahim Khan has emerged as a stronger candidate for the seat of south Punjab president.

A few weeks ago, the PTI revised and approved its party constitution. However, the committee which penned the constitution erroneously omitted categorising Punjab into two divisions due to which the PTI faced strong criticism within its party ranks.

Subsequently, a committee was formed to include south Punjab in the party structure through an amendment in the Constitution after which it would need to be reapproved through a new National Council.

According to details, the PTI leaders are at odds as they compete for key party positions in Punjab.

As a result, the reorganisation of the party has been facing persistent delays and is leading to controversies.

On the other side, some key leaders of the party have recommended Imran to fill at least one of the seats of provincial president or the general secretary with an MNA to ensure party representation in parliament.

According to sources, Imran has initially lauded the recommendation but final decision in this regard is awaited.

Sources say that PTI leaders, including Jahangir Tareen, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Abdul Aleem Khan, Naeemul Haq, Saifullah Niazi, Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, Ishaq Khaqwani, Shafqat Mehmood and Fawad Chaudhry are working aggressively for restructuring the party and are making efforts to ensure that the key seats for Punjab are filled by preferred and like-minded people.

A few days ago, the key PTI leaders in their informal media briefings had confirmed Ejaz Chaudhry as the probable president for the province without naming any contestant.

However, PTI MNA Faiz Kamoka has also emerged as a contestant for the post for the past few days but Ejaz Chaudhry still remains the most favourite.

Sources say a few party leaders at the provincial and district levels are opposing Ejaz Chaudhry for the seat.

On the other side, MNA Ibrahim Khan is being considered as the favourite for the seat of south Punjab president. However, the group led by Shah Mehmood Qureshi prefer some other name. According to sources, strife within the party for the provincial seats has intensified and is likely to see further heat in the coming days.