PTI delays G-B, AJK elections till next year

By Zahid Gishkori in The Express Tribune

ISLAMABAD: With serious differences among the party leadership, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to postpone intra-party elections for its Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) chapters till next year.

PTI leaders dealing with intra-party elections told The Express Tribune on Friday that the party will not be able to hold elections for its office-bearers in G-B and AJK till next year since the party’s constitution is under scrutiny as there are differences among leaders over the election mechanism.

“We have decided to postpone intra-party elections in G-B and AJK for two main reasons. Firstly, because of differences among leaders over the exact framework in formulating a party hierarchy and, secondly, due to the ongoing study of PTI’s constitution by legal attorneys,” a senior official of the party informed this correspondent.

The decision came after PTI’s announcement that it will hold intra-party elections on November 2 in Islamabad.

Sources told The Express Tribune that various leaders including, Jamal Khan Leghari, Mian Azhar and Mian Mehmood Rashid, Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri, Sardar Assef Ahmed Ali and Sikandar Bosan have conveyed their concerns to Imran Khan.

A leader highlighted the fact that the aforementioned members have not yet been given any party office and confirmed that there are differences over “the exact framework to be followed in formulating a party hierarchy.”

A PTI leader feared that the party might not be able to meet the deadline to conduct its intra-party elections due to incomplete voter lists. “It will take 12 to 14 weeks to complete the voters’ registration process,” he said, adding that there is still a need to establish offices and interim bodies in AJK and G-B for party elections.

However, Ahmed Jawad, head of Central Media Cell Islamabad says, “PTI will successfully conclude its intra-party elections by the end of this year.”http://tribune.com.pk/story/454157/pti-delays-g-b-ajk-elections-till-next-year/