Barrister Gohar Ali Khan elected unopposed as new PTI Chairman in intra-party polls
PTI’s CEC Niaziullah Khan Niazi Advocate says all candidates were elected unanimously in the intra-party polls
Barrister Gohar says when elections take place, we will defeat everyone
Akbar S. Babar says he will move the ECP, challenging the intra-party elections
PESHAWAR/ISLAMABAD ( Web News )
The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) on Saturday elected Barrister Gohar Ali Khan as the new Chairman in the intra-party elections held on the directives of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). Barristers Gohar Ali Khan won the chairman’s position unopposed.
Barrister Gohar, who was nominated by ex-PTI chief and former prime minister Imran Khan for the top slot a couple of days ago, submitted his nomination papers for the office of the party’s chairman.
Barrister Gohar emerged as the sole candidate for the chairman’s election as no other leader came forward to file papers for the slot within the specified deadline.
The chief election commissioner of intra-party elections, Niaziullah Khan Niazi Advocate, announced the results from a polling station in Peshawar. He said all candidates were elected unanimously in the intra-party polls.
Senior PTI leader Omar Ayub Khan was elected as the new General Secretary while Ali Amin Khan Gandapur was elected as the party’s provincial president in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP)
Haleem Adil Sheikh was elected as PTI Sindh’s president while Dr. Yasmin Rashid was picked as the president of Punjab, with Ali Asghar was elected as the provincial general secretary.
Taimur Saleem Jhagra was elected as PTI’s senior vice president, and Muhammad Atif Khan is the newly elected president of the Peshawar Region.
Speaking in Peshawar after his election as chairman, Barrister Gohar said he will keep fulfilling this responsibility as Imran Khan’s representative. He said that Pakistan has 175 political parties, all of which have been providing details of their intra-party polls to the ECP since 1960. “However, none of these polls have been scrutinised as closely as those of the PTI.”
“People are seeing this and will block the oppression,” he said. “We have to take the country forward.”
He further added that PTI’s purpose is to struggle, and that Imran Khan is in jail because of his efforts. “When elections take place, we will defeat everyone,” Gohar said.
Barrister Gohar said that he will take on the responsibilities of the chairman as Imran Khan’s representative.
“We will take the country forward but as long as I am here, I will (act as) Imran Khan’s representative who is in jail because of his principled struggle. PTI will not fight anyone,” he said.
He lamented that none of the political parties “faced this sort of elections” like PTI did, adding that the court did not look into other parties’ receiving foreign funding.
The newly-elected chairman complained that the party leadership faced many cases and could not get the relief it wanted from the courts.
“Till now, many of the party leaders are underground or in jails,” he added.
PTI’s Chief Election Commissioner Niazullah Khan Niazi Advocate announced the results, saying Barrister Gohar was elected unopposed following the intra-party election held.
Niazi said Omar Ayub Khan has been elected PTI’s central general secretary while Ali Amin Gandapur and Dr. Yasmin Rashid were chosen as the party’s provincial presidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, respectively. Niazi said PTI is the only party with a democratic system. He said the ECP gave PTI 20 days to hold elections and the party conducted polls according to the Constitution.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) termed it a “selection, not an election”. In a press conference in Rawalpindi, party spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said: “Once again, the PTI has been involved in a selection all in 15 minutes.”
Questioning how all the candidates were elected unopposed, she said: “PTI’s intra-party elections were done in secrecy.”
Akbar Sher Babar, one of the founding members of PTI, had rejected the nomination of Barrister Gohar Ali Khan as a candidate for the party chairman’s slot, calling it “selection instead of an election”.
In a press statement, Babar, who had filed the foreign funding case against the PTI, said the nomination of the new PTI chairman has raised serious questions about the transparency and credibility of the entire PTI intra-party election process.
He said that a party that champions transparency and a level playing field in the national elections is shying away from allowing its workers a level playing field to elect its leadership without interference and manipulation.
Akbar S Babar told a private TV channel that he will move the ECP, challenging the intra-party elections. “In view of irregularities in the PTI intra-party elections, a petition will be submitted to the Election Commission,” he said.
The politician added that he and other founding leaders are part of the party following the high court’s decision.
Babar said he will address an important presser regarding the intra-party elections this evening. “I will expose the irregularities before the nation.”
However, the PTI election commissioner denied the allegations and said neither Babar contacted him nor his team.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency President Ahmad Bilal Mehboob said the PTI intra-party elections were not “conducted well”.
“Hasty election is not favourable for PTI. I think the PTI intra-party elections are controversial,” he said.
The analyst added that while political parties talk about free and fair elections in the country, there is no transparency in their intra-party polls.
He lamented that no voter list was given by the PTI and that Akbar S Babar should have been given a full chance to compete.