Clouds of controversy: PTI to probe ticket awarding process

Key party officials named in a barrage of complaints

ISLAMABAD:

After a dismal performance in the cantonment board elections coupled with a barrage of complaints, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf [PTI] has constituted a committee to inquire into the procedure of awarding party tickets.

“In consultation with the Chairman, an Inquiry Committee is hereby notified to carry out a detailed investigation into the procedure followed for awarding of party tickets in the recent Cantonment Board elections and the subsequent results of the election,” said a notification issued by PTI Secretary General Jahangir Khan Tareen.

The two-member committee that comprises Chaudhry Sarwar [Chairman] and Rai Azizullah, has been tasked to look into sub optimal results in urban centres of Punjab where the party has a strong following. However, despite PTI’s expectations, these urban centres also happen to be strongholds of its archrival, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

The committee will “especially inquire into the reasons for the suboptimal results in key districts like Rawalpindi, Lahore, Gujranwala, Sargodha and Sialkot among others,” said the notification issued late Friday night.

According to results of the cantonment board elections, the PML-N secured 68 out of the 199 seats whereas the PTI secured 42 seats. The PPP won seven seats in the elections, MQM secured 19 seats, Jamat-e-Islami (JI) six seats and Awami National Party (ANP) won two seats. Independent candidates have secured 55 seats in total.

Insiders said that the committee was constituted after the party received a barrage of complaints related to awarding tickets to blue-eyed candidates by provincial leadership. In this regard allegations have been levelled against Azam Swati, the party’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chapter president.

Akbar S. Babar, a former founding member of the PTI, told The Express Tribune that Imran Khan himself has withdrawn at least 10 tickets. He was quoted as saying that “tickets were issued on the recommendations of Aleem Khan,” for the Walton and Cantonment constituencies of Lahore.

Similarly, Yasin Khalil is calling the shots in K-P at the behest of Chief Minister Parvaiz Khattak and at least eight tickets were issued to his family members, including his brother, he added.

The PTI is already embroiled in a controversy over the investigations into intra party elections as an election tribunal headed by Justice (retd) Wajihuddin Ahmed is holding meetings in defiance of Chairman Imran Khan’s decision to dissolve the tribunal.

Following that Imran Khan sent a letter to Wajihuddin saying that he was violating party discipline by holding meetings of the ‘erstwhile tribunal.’

However, sources told The Express Tribune that the tribunal has simply rejected Imran Khan’s allegations insisting that its actions in no way were against party discipline. In response to the complaint of earning a bad name for the party, the tribunal has instead blamed the PTI hierarchy for adverse comments in the national press and not ensuring democratic practices within the party, as enjoyed by the tribunal.

The tribunal, however, will deliberate Imran Khan’s request asking Wajihuddin to discontinue the meetings. It will debate the issue in the next meeting scheduled for May 4, sources said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 3^rd, 2015.