Intra-party polls: In-fighting mars PTI’s district elections

“The election commission members are hand-in-glove with Shaheen Group and want them to win the polls,” Jazi alleged.

RAWALPINDI: In-fighting and factionalism marred the intra-party elections of the PTI in Rawalpindi district on Tuesday. The elections were scheduled for the slot of president, district presidents and secretary general in district Rawalpindi including the Rawal Town, but a stay by one group suspended the whole process. Workers complained about absence of level playing field to candidates. Ejaz Khan Jazi, leader of his own group, held members of the party’s election commission responsible for suspension of the elections. “The election commission members are hand-in-glove with Shaheen Group and want them to win the polls,” he alleged. Sadaqat, a member of the Shaheen Group, said that they got the stay order as name of one of the contesters was not included in the list. PTI Chief Imran Khan, while addressing the party workers in Islamabad, blamed the PML-N for the fiasco, alleging that the PML-N used police to create hurdles in conducting polls. However, a PML-N press release denied the claim.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 27^th, 2013.