The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) intra party polls were challenged in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) by its own founding member Akbar S. Babar.
The intra-party polls held last Saturday in accordance with ECP directives and Barrister Gohar Ali Khan elected as the new party chairman, nominated by PTI leader Imran Khan.
Babar alleges that the party engaged in a selection process designed to sideline dedicated party workers in favor of a few lawyers.
In a letter addressed to Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, Babar detailed several irregularities in the election process.
He highlighted that the PTI core committee’s press release, following the ECP’s directives, lacked crucial information such as election rules, regulations, nomination timelines, and other pertinent details.
Babar further noted that a visit to the PTI Central Secretariat on December 1 revealed a lack of basic information, with the party representative expressing “helplessness” in providing necessary documents such as nomination papers and voter lists.
On the day of the election, Babar described an unconventional scene in Peshawar, where a small crowd without verified party status assembled in an undisclosed location, chanting their acceptance. He asserted that the entire process was filmed and broadcast on national television, with results announced before noon, indicating that all candidates were elected unopposed.
Expressing concern over the transparency of the polls, Babar urged the ECP to declare the intra-party elections “null and void” and issue fresh directives for conducting new polls promptly. In light of the PTI’s “chequered history” in holding fair intra-party elections, he recommended the appointment of independent third-party monitors to oversee the process.
Babar also suggested that the PTI’s election symbol, the bat, be held in abeyance until the party conducts transparent polls in compliance with the law.
Addressing the media outside the ECP headquarters in Islamabad, Babar strongly criticized the PTI leadership, questioning their commitment to providing a level playing field for party members in electing their leadership. He emphasized that he, along with other PTI members, submitted petitions to save the party’s symbol and called for transparent polls.
