PTI got 'out of control' after Lahore rally, admits Imran

PTI to hold grassroot level internal elections to elect the party's leaders.

ISLAMABAD/ KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was flooded with new members after the Lahore rally in 2011, so much so that the party got out of control and chaotic, said PTI Chairman Imran Khan adding that he feels "no shame in admitting this". 

Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad on Sunday, Imran said PTI became a different party after October 30, 2011. “PTI went through tremendous change, it was a different party before [Lahore rally] and became totally different afterwards” he said.

In order to end this confusion, Imran said that PTI has decided to start an organised nationwide membership campaign aiming to target 4,000,000 members. He further added that his party will make the campaign plan public in a few days time.

According to Imran, these new members will in return elect all the PTI leaders, including him.

“There will be elections from grassroots level to the top to ensure that PTI leaders are elected and not favoured,” he said adding that this will end family-based politics in Pakistan.

He further said that his party will make PTI an institution that will not be Imran’s party but an entity which will continue working fairly even without him.

While dispelling rumours of conflict amongst the party’s top leadership, Imran said none of the party leaders were planning to switch over to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

When enquired about the absence of Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Javed Hashmi, Imran said that Qureshi could not come because of the death of a close friend’s son, while Hashmi is in the US for a fundraising campaign for PTI.

The 20^th Amendment

PTI Chairman said the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and PML-N have agreed upon the 20^th amendment to hide each other’s corruption. “The Asghar Khan case has proven who took money from the ISI,” he added.

He reiterated the point that his party has no links with the establishment.

Imran also said that Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani is in power only to protect corrupt people.

‘Blood sucking senators’

Calling the recent senate elections a fraud, Imran said the new senate comprises of “blood-sucking senators.”