Islamabad: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is set to hold fresh intra-party elections on February 5 amid a state crackdown, the central media department of the party announced on Thursday. PTI spokesperson Raoof Hasan has been appointed as the federal election commissioner, reported Geo News.
"The PTI Federal Election Commission is pleased to announce the Election Schedule for the Intra-party Elections (IPE) of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to elect the Chairman, Central and Provincial Organisations," the statement read. All members of the party registered till January 31 will be allowed to vote for their preferred panel or chairman candidate at designated locations across Pakistan.
The details of all the panels participating in the intra-party election as well as the detailed procedure of the election will be released soon. Barrister Gohar Khan is the chairman of the party after Imran refrained from contesting the internal elections held last year.
The party announced that nomination papers for aspiring candidates can be obtained from February 1 to 2 and the list of all the final panels will be published on February 4. Notably, the PTI suffered a major setback as it was deprived of its traditional electoral symbol of a cricket bat after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) declared the previous internal polls "unconstitutional" - meaning that its candidates would have to contest as independents.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had stripped the PTI of the symbol on the technical grounds that it had not held intra-party elections, a prerequisite for any political party to take part in the national election. The party had challenged that ruling in the top court, which rejected its plea to retain the electoral symbol.
Previous PTI intra-party elections
The ECP in November gave PTI a 20-day timeframe to conduct fresh intra-party elections to retain its bat symbol. The electoral body ruled on November 23 that PTI's previous intra-party polls held last year were controversial and objectionable.
The party held the election on June 10, 2022, but the ECP rejected it, saying that the party had amended its Constitution two days before holding the polls. In August, the electoral body gave the PTI a final warning to hold the elections or it could be declared ineligible to obtain an election symbol. The PTI elections were due on June 13, 2021, but an extension was granted by the ECP.
“It is held that PTI has not complied with our directions rendered therein order dated 23rd November, 2023 and failed to hold intra-party election in accordance with PTI prevailing Constitution, 2019 and Election Act, 2017, and Election Rules, 2017,” the ECP said on last year's elections.
Reacting to the ECP's order, the PTI called the decision a "part of the famous London plan" and a "disgusting and shameful attempt to stop PTI" from participating in the general elections. "The Election Commission of Pakistan has tried to destroy the constitution, democracy and transparency of elections in the country through its decision...This biased and biased decision of the Commission cannot stand in its place and we will challenge it before the Supreme Court," said the party.
Military-backed crackdown on PTI
PTI's prospects experienced severe problems amid a military-backed crackdown and without an electoral symbol. Its founder Imran Khan, along with his wife Bushra Bibi, was sentenced to 14 years in prison in the Toshakhana corruption reference, a day after the ex-PM and his deputy Shah Mahmood Qureshi were handed a 10-year sentence in the cipher case for allegedly leaking state secrets.
With his nomination papers denied, Imran is virtually out of the electoral race, a situation similar to what Nawaz Sharif faced in 2018. Many candidates who are contesting as independents are being backed by PTI in the elections. The party alleges the military is attempting to keep it out of the election race, a charge the army denies.
A week before Pakistan's general elections, an independent candidate affiliated with PTI, Rehan Zaib Khan, was shot dead on Wednesday in the Siddiqabad area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Bajaur district, a day after four people were killed in a massive blast targeting a rally in Balochistan’s Sibi.
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