ISLAMABAD: Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, a leader within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), disclosed on Thursday that Barrister Ali Zafar is the nominated candidate for the next chairman of the party.
This announcement comes amid a prolonged vacancy in the top leadership position of the former ruling party, stretching over a month.
Speaking to reporters outside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail after a meeting with party founder Imran Khan, Gohar stated, “This time, our candidate for party chairman will be Barrister Ali Zafar, with Omar Ayub slated for the position of secretary general.”
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has prohibited PTI from utilizing its electoral symbol due to irregularities observed in their internal elections, which were found to be inconsistent with the party’s constitution and election regulations. This decision has also resulted in a lack of appointments to key positions within the party.
Despite a favorable ruling from the Peshawar High Court, the Supreme Court’s decision in December to revoke PTI’s symbol, merely two months before the general elections on February 8, dealt a significant blow. Even after forming alliances with the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) post-elections, securing reserved seats remains challenging.
Gohar announced that fresh intra-party elections are scheduled for March 3, expressing determination to ensure Zafar’s election as the party’s next chairman.
Earlier plans by PTI to conduct intra-party polls on February 5 were postponed. According to the revised schedule, nomination papers for the intra-party polls can be submitted on February 23 and 24, followed by scrutiny on February 25.
Final decisions on nominations will be announced on February 27, with polling set for March 3 at the party’s central office and provincial secretariats.
This week, PTI, having won over 80 National Assembly seats, secured victories in more than 100 Punjab Assembly seats, and emerged as the largest party in the KP Assembly during the February 8 polls, announced its collaboration with SIC in the Centre, Punjab, and KP.
This move aims to secure the party’s share of the 70 NA reserved seats for women and minorities, allocated proportionally to participating parties.
(Islamabad51_Newsdesk)
