The PTI declared on Thursday that additional intra-party elections would be held on March 3 (Sunday).
The Supreme Court, last month, overturned the Election Commission of Pakistan’s ruling that the PTI’s internal elections were “unconstitutional”—an outcome that followed a protracted dispute and prolonged hearings preceding the February 8 general elections. As a result, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was deprived of its emblem.
The supreme court ruled in its detailed verdict that an election symbol must never be withheld from a political party for a minor infraction; however, abstaining from intra-party elections constituted a significant breach of both legal principles and the Constitution.
In addition to depriving the PTI of its right to reserved seats, the verdict compelled hundreds of party members to run as independent candidates bearing disparate electoral symbols.
Subsequent to the general elections on February 8, the party reconsidered its initial plan to conduct internal elections on February 5, instead deciding to delay them until the conclusion of the “unfortunate security situation created by the administration” and member concerns.
The Federal Chief Election Commission of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf unveiled the schedule for the intra-party elections today, modifying the original date to March 3.
Has a copy of the schedule indicating that on February 22, the party will distribute a notice soliciting nomination papers from PTI members. On February 23 and 24, party members can submit their nomination papers to the returning officers (RO) from 10 am to 3 pm.
The examination of the nomination forms is scheduled to conclude at 3 p.m. on February 25, and the deadline to file appeals against the RO’s decision is February 26. By February 29th, both the decisions regarding the appeals and the final list of panels/candidates will be released.
In the interim, candidate/panel withdrawals will be accepted until February 28, at which point a revised roster of panels will be distributed.
The schedule stated that intra-party elections would be conducted on March 3 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with the following locations serving as polling locations:
- Islamabad: PTI Central office, St.32, G-8, Islamabad
- Balochistan: PTI Provincial Secretariat, Main Chorangi, Shahbaz Town, Quetta
- KP: Mehman-e-Khas Wedding Hall, GT Road, Opposite Gulbahar Police Station, Peshawar
- Punjab: 197-XX, Street 6, Phase 3, DHA, Lahore
- Sindh: Insaf House, 16-B, Block 6, PECHS, Rashid Minhas Street, Karachi
The schedule indicates that the election results will be made public by 8 p.m. on the same day, with a corresponding notification being issued on March 4.
PTI-Backed Independents Join Sunni Ittehad Council
In the February 8 polls, PTI-backed independents secured a lion’s share of the vote despite all odds. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf redoubled its endeavors to establish governments in the Centre, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday, two days subsequent to its decision to align with the opposition and initiate a nationwide campaign denouncing purported electoral rigging in the February 8 elections. In doing so, it enlisted the assistance of a new partner, the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).
The day prior, the vast majority of successful independent candidates endorsed by the PTI formally merged with the SIC. The affidavits were submitted by a total of 89 MNAs, 85 members of the KP Assembly, 106 members of the Punjab Assembly, and nine members of the Sindh Assembly.
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Three party leaders, including Omar Ayub Khan, Barrister Gohar Khan, and Ali Amin Gandapur, failed to provide affidavits, and the ECP had not yet issued a notification regarding one candidate, Dawar Kundi.
While Ayub and Gohar refrained from submitting affidavits in order to join the SIC on purpose, doing so was due to their intention of participating in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf intra-party elections, Gandapur abstained from filing the affidavit on account of his nomination as the party’s candidate for the position of KP chief minister.
PTI sources informed us that, except Ayub and Gohar, all notified MNAs and MPAs had merged with the SIC. A party source stated, “We hope to receive our fair share of the reserved seats in the national and provincial assemblies.”
