Rejig ordered Imran dissolves PTI offices

Installs interim setup instead; says Justice Wajih’s report confirmed irregularities in party polls

ISLAMABAD:

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has dissolved all its party offices ahead of its intra-party elections and decided to install an interim organisational set-up.

On Saturday, PTI chief Imran Khan announced that he was dissolving the party current’s structure as per Justice (retd) Wajihuddin Ahmed’s report and appointed temporary chief organisers for every province.

Justice Wajih, who heads the party’s two-member election tribunal, has been at loggerheads with Imran for not complying with the judge’s earlier order to conduct fresh intra-party polls due to serious irregularities in the last election process.

Addressing a news conference at his Bani Gala residence on Saturday, the PTI chairman said that Justice Wajih’s report had confirmed irregularities in the intra-party elections and all party offices stood dissolved.

He said that interim officer-bearers would be appointed before elections. He, however, made it clear that it was not a caretaker set-up because, as per the election tribunal’s recommendation, those in the caretaker set-up could not take part in the elections.

“We cannot afford to oust leaders from the election process. Therefore, we decided to install an interim setup instead,” the PTI chief said.

Chaudhry Sarwar was appointed as the party’s chief organiser in Punjab; Dr Arif Alvi in Sindh; Yousuf Ayub for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P); and Humayun Jogezai for Balochistan.

Imran said the political and consultative committees would be set up in the centre to run the party affairs.

To a question, the PTI leader said that due to the PTI’s weak organisational set-up it could not perform well in the elections of cantonment boards.

He also questioned the election commission’s notice, barring him from campaigning in favour of his party candidates while the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) head and premier Nawaz Sharif had doled out Rs46 billion for development projects after announcement of elections in K-P in violations of rules.

About the judicial commission looking into allegations of electoral rigging in 2013 elections, he predicted the judges would announce elections this year. He hastened to add though that it was just a hunch on his part and he would accept whatever the tribunal would decide.

Imran strongly criticised on Twitter the recently announced joint investigative team’s (JIT) report on the Model Town carnage, lamenting that a clean chit was given to Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and former provincial law minister Rana Sanaullah.

“It is the height of injustice that the Model Town JIT absolved Shahbaz Sharif and Rana Sanaullah,” Imran tweeted.

This was a message to the police as repeats of such incidents could take place with impunity, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 24^th, 2015.