PTI’s Yousafzai withdraws candidacy in favour of Khattak

Intra-party polls in the province are expected to be completed by Jan 3.

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) veteran leader and potential candidate for provincial president Shaukat Yousafzai stepped down and pledged his support to Pervaiz Khattak in the run for the seat ahead of intra-party elections.

Yousafzai, who has a decade-long affiliation with the party and earlier contested general elections on the PTI’s ticket said: “The party needs competent and experienced politicians to tackle future challenges”. He also urged activists to unite under one umbrella in order to protect the PTI’s interests.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, he said: “We have expressed our confidence and will support Khattak in the run for party’s provincial president seat.” He added that Khattak’s political experience will strengthen the party.

Admitting the PTI’s organisational and structural flaws, Yousafzai said that through intra-party elections many issues will be resolved.

Khattak, who rose to prominence in the party in a short span of time, was the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) provincial minister for irrigation before he joined Imran Khan.



Khattak said the PTI has to confront those political parties which have led Pakistan to the verge of economic collapse. “By conducting inter-party polls, the PTI has proved that it is the only party which believes in democracy,” he added.

The party is conducting intra-party elections in the province at the union council (UC) level. The polls are expected to conclude by January 3. Previously, party members had said that the UC-level elections would end by December 31, 2012. However, due to internal rifts, elections were delayed in several districts including the Malakand region.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 1^st, 2013.