Internal rifts cost PTI dearly in by-polls

The chief government spokesperson on Saturday admitted that there were internal rifts in the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) due to which it suffered a setback in Friday’s by-elections.

Notwithstanding the congratulatory messages by PTI leaders claiming victory in the controversial by-polls in Daska, the ruling party in reality is in a state of shock and searching for answers for an unexpected defeat, party insiders say.

Shibli Faraz admitted that “internal rifts between two brothers” damaged the party in Nowshera by-election but PTI’s vote bank has not shrunk, adding that that is why Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Irrigation Minister Liaquat Khattak — the brother of Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak — was removed from his post for allegedly supporting the victorious candidate belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

The spokesperson told The Express Tribune that one should acknowledge that state resources were not utilised during the by-elections, which remained a routine practice in the past. The information minister said that the PTI has lost the elections with small margins but “it fought honestly”.

“The PTI is putting money where its mouth is even if it has to bear losses as the purpose is to hold transparent elections,” Faraz said, adding that that is why PM Imran Khan is going one step ahead and making efforts to hold Senate elections through open vote.

On delay in Daska by-poll results, he said that the Election Commission of Pakistan appeared to be assertive and did not behave like Fakhruddin G Ebrahim – who being the Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan oversaw the 2013 election.

Read more: PTI claims victory in NA-75 as ECP fears ‘compromised results’

To the question whether the by-election results in Punjab were a reflection of people’s discontent with Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Shibli said, “Buzdar has the party’s as well as the prime minister’s support and we standby the decision.”

On violence and killing of two people during the voting process in Daska, Shibli alleged that it was the PML-N’s plan and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had expressed in an interview last month that people would now protect their votes through weapons.

“The by-election results show that there is a general discontentment against the government policies as people do not have a positive opinion about government’s performance and internal rifts within PTI are not just deep but fully evident now,” Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (Pildat) President Ahmed Bilal Mehboob told The Express Tribune.

One of the reasons why PM Imran is so keen to hold Senate elections through open vote, Mehboob said, is the realisation of the fact that the party is so divided that lawmakers might go against the party decision. “The Punjab CM has no grip over the party and the province and insiders also feel that he shouldn’t be the chief minister,” Mehboob said. “The provincial administration failed; law and order situation marred Daska polls and the ECP’s staff simply vanished.”

He added, “The ECP’s statement is a charge sheet against the PTI government.”

To a question, Mehboob said that the PTI’s narrative of corruption and NRO lost its effectiveness with people almost a year ago. Apart from the PTI’s internal rifts, he said that PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz ran an effective campaign and her visit to Nowshera –a PTI stronghold – has had an effect on the end results. “PDM had an effect but it didn’t have a major role,” he said.

In the by-elections on Friday, the PTI was routed in two of the four constituencies – two National Assembly and as many provincial assemblies’ seats – in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa with clashes between the ruling party and the PML-N in the hotly contested NA-75 Sialkot leaving two people dead and 10 others, including a woman, wounded. By-elections were held for PP-51 Gujranwala-I, NA-45 Kurram-I and PK-63 Nowshera seats that fell vacant due to the demise of the lawmakers.