Revamp PTI, why?

Ruling PTI is experiencing an auto-correction in its rank and file. After the rout in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s local bodies’ polls, PM Imran Khan has reportedly decided to dissolve all organisational bodies in an attempt to revamp the tiers across the board. This is quite a warranted step but seems to have been taken as a knee-jerk reaction. Likewise, the interim setup introduced to choose the best of talent for running the party has been commissioned from the same awful heads who are, in fact, responsible for the decay in the party. This is a serious moment of introspection for the party and especially for the Skipper, as there is no point in blaming the entire edifice when the rot lies somewhere else.

The point that blame is being laid on awarding tickets to undesired candidates, and that merit was not followed in KP local bodies’ nomination, is an indictment of sorts on those who had run the party from the top-notch. So why penalise the core strength of the party, which is quite inspiring and believes in rallying around their leader. Perhaps, a similar notion has been brought forward by Justice (retd) Wajihuddin Ahmed when he was a leading party member, and had squarely blamed some black sheep for stealing the show with their intervention. Thus, it is a moment of introspection, and one hopes the ruling dispensation will selflessly analyse it. Dissolving the entire party’s organisational network on the eve of the second leg of LB polls in K-P, and then Punjab, is quite a risky decision. It could backfire in terms of performance.

PTI is still in its labyrinth. It is, indeed, a one-man show. It is the personality of Imran Khan that is the focal point of attraction, as people still have faith in his philosophy of change, and value his impeccable character. The rest are migrant birds in the party. Thus, while competing with well-entrenched political parties, who have been through the mill of trial and error, the PTI needs some serious homework. The genesis of the party was in merit, and a big ‘No’ to nepotism and dynastic shades. But unfortunately, elections from 2013 onwards have shown that the party is slipping into the deplorable module of wheeling-dealing! High time to ponder it with naked eyes.