nominated<\/a> by Imran Khan for the top slot a couple of days ago, submitted his nomination papers for the office of the party\u2019s chairman.<\/p>\nA PTI spokesman, however, did not officially prov\u00adide any details of the arrangements for the polling, names of other candidates as well as the place where the members would cast their votes.<\/p>\n
He said Mr Gohar\u2019s nomination papers were received by Returning Officer Sardar Masroof Khan at the party\u2019s Central Secretariat in Islamabad.<\/p>\n
Party\u2019s senior central lea\u00adder Ahmed Owais is the proposer in the nomination pap\u00aders filed by Barrister Gohar while information secretary Raoof Hasan has seconded him.<\/p>\n
Talking to Dawn<\/em>, PTI Ch\u00adief Election Commissi\u00adoner Niazullah Niazi said elections were being held under the party\u2019s rules 2020, which were revised in 2022, stating that party members would cast their votes to the whole panel.<\/p>\nHe said he had nominated five returning officers (ROs) who had received nominat\u00adion papers till 3pm on Friday. According to Mr Niazi, Sardar Masroof is RO at the federal level whereas Mirza Asim Baig has been nominated as the RO for Punjab, Zahid Bashir Dar for Sindh, Ansar Mehmood Kiani for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Amna Ali for Balochistan.<\/p>\n
In reply to a question, Mr Niazi failed to provide exact number of candidates and voters, saying \u201cthousands of the party members\u201d were eligible to poll their votes.<\/p>\n
He did not even share the names of candidates for other offices, including secretary general and vice-presidents and claimed that no one had filed objections to any of the nomination papers.<\/p>\n
How it began?<\/strong><\/p>\nThe ECP had on Nov 23 annu\u00adlled the PTI\u2019s intra-party polls held in June last year, terming them \u201chighly objectionable\u201d.<\/p>\n
The commission gave the former ruling party 20 days to hold afresh election, if it did not want to lose its electoral symbol \u2014 cricket bat.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn case, the respondent party failed to\u2026hold its intra-party election within the prescribed 20 days which will run from today [Thurs\u00adday], the date on which this order is announced, in such eventuality the respondent will suffer the penal consequences of Section 215(5) of Elections Act, 2017 accordingly and would be ineligible to obtain an election symbol for election to Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament),\u201d reads the ECP order.<\/p>\n
The order came at a time when general elections are about two months away and political parties are ratcheting up their poll campaigns across the country.<\/p>\n
The PTI, however, has complained about an uneven playing field and termed the ECP\u2019s ruling an attempt to keep Imran Khan and his party away from polls.<\/p>\n
Rift in ranks?<\/strong><\/p>\nThe decision to nominate Barrister Gohar, a newcomer, for the slot of chairman has reportedly caused a rift within the party.<\/p>\n
According to an insider, in nominating Mr Gohar loyalists like Ali Mohammad Khan, Senator Humayun Mohmand and Advocate Hamid Khan have been ignored.<\/p>\n
A PTI leader told Dawn<\/em> on condition of anonymity that the decision to appoint Mr Gohar, who is an associate of PPP leader Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, was not a wise move due to his proximity to the PPP stalwart.<\/p>\nBut in a statement on Friday, a PTI spokesperson said the party\u2019s decision to hold intra-party elections on the ECP\u2019s directives was a clear sign of the party\u2019s unshakable commitment to democracy and unwavering belief in the rule of law.<\/p>\n
The statement said that PTI had also held intra-party elections last year according to the law. However, he added, in order to set a great example of respect for law, the party decided to hold the intra-party elections again despite the \u201cillegal decision\u201d of the electoral watchdog, declaring the last year\u2019s polls null and void.<\/p>\n
\u2018Family-limited\u2019 politics<\/strong><\/p>\nThe spokesman said that the PTI chairman had buried the traditional hered\u00aditary and \u201cfamily-limited\u201d politics and set a great example of democracy by nominating \u201ca hard-working, loyal and capable worker of the party for the slot of the party chairman\u201d.<\/p>\n
He pointed out that the elements, who were hell-bent on keeping the PTI out of politics and electoral process \u201cthrough conspiracy and coercions\u201d, had once again unleashed their touts and agents into the field to sabotage the party\u2019s intra-party elections. However, he made it clear that like before, these conspiracies were doomed to fail and PTI would proceed towards its destination while staying within the purview of the Constitution, law and democratic values.<\/p>\n
Malik Asad also contributed to the report<\/em><\/p>\nPublished in Dawn, December 2nd, 2023<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u2022 Niazullah made election commissioner\u2022 Gohar submits nomination papers for chairman; party keeps names of other candidates under wraps\u2022 Spokesperson says \u2018conspiracies\u2019 to keep PTI out of polls will fail ISLAMABAD: The Pakis\u00adtan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Friday announced it had put the finishing touches on preparations for intra-party elections being held today (Satur\u00adday) on the 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