‘Minus-Imran formula’ unacceptable, ECP told

PTI’s legal team meets CEC; informs him about challenges being faced by party

ISLAMABAD:

The PTI on Wednesday made it clear to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that the party would not accept the ‘minus one’ formula -- a euphemism for sidelining its chief and deposed premier Imran Khan.

The message was conveyed to the commission during a meeting between the PTI's legal representatives and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, in which the party shared its concern in connection with the next general elections on February 8.

The PTI delegation, which included Barrister Gohar Ali and Advocate Babar Awan, urged the ECP to issue a written decision on intra-party elections and also talked about the “obstacles” impeding their polls campaign.

Following the meeting with the CEC, Gohar, while addressing the media, shed light on the discussions and requests put forth during the 45-minute session with the head of the commission.

He pointed out that the PTI’s legal team had presented a charter of demands to the commission.

Gohar added that the ECP had committed to ensure that the electoral symbol of the cricket bat remained associated with the PTI.

He continued that it was clarified to the commission that the PTI chief would not be excluded from the electoral process.

Gohar stressed the need for the ECP to fulfill its constitutional responsibility to maintain a level playing field for all political parties participating in the elections.

He also highlighted several key points discussed during the huddle with the CEC, especially about the challenges faced by the PTI in conducting meetings as well as printing flags and banners.

The PTI’s legal team member said there were several hindrances in the party’s electoral campaign and that was why they had requested the ECP to issue a notification to enable a fair and just polls process.

Separately, the PTI announced a “political engagement committee” for reaching out to rival parties before the next general elections.

The five-member committee includes Senator Ali Zafar, Senator Dr Humayun Mohmand, Ali Muhammad Khan, Ali Asghar Khan and Raoof Hasan, read a party notification shared on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

The party finds itself hot water following the events of May 9 this year, when in an unprecedented show of vandalism, protesters allegedly belonging to the PTI, vandalised public and state properties and even attacked the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi and Jinnah House in Lahore, where the city’s corps commander was residing.

The attack occurred hours after the paramilitary Rangers arrested the PTI chief in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case – later retitled as National Crime Agency £190 million scandal – on the orders of the National Accountability Bureau, from the Islamabad High Court premises.

The rioting was followed by a harsh crackdown against the former ruling party leaders and activists.