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The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) announced the finalisation of preparations for intra-party elections being held today (Saturday), complying with the directives of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Dawn reported.
Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, nominated by Imran Khan, submitted his papers for the party's chairman position. While a PTI spokesperson did not officially disclose polling details, Gohar's nomination papers were received by Returning Officer Sardar Masroof Khan in Islamabad. PTI Chief Election Commissioner Niazullah Niazi told Dawn that elections would follow the party's 2020 rules, revised in 2022, with members voting for the entire panel. Five Returning Officers (ROs) were nominated, covering federal and provincial levels. However, the exact number of candidates and voters remained unspecified, with Niazi stating "thousands" were eligible. The ECP had invalidated PTI's 2022 intra-party polls, instructing fresh elections within 20 days to retain the electoral symbol, a cricket bat. "In case, the respondent party failed to...hold its intra-party election within the prescribed 20 days which will run from today [Thursday], 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)," stated the ECP order. Amid complaints of an uneven playing field, PTI reaffirmed its commitment to democracy and the rule of law. The decision to nominate Barrister Gohar, reportedly causing internal discord, was defended by the party as a move away from traditional politics. The PTI spokesperson accused conspirators of attempting to sabotage the elections but affirmed the party's determination to adhere to constitutional and democratic principles, Dawn reported. (ANI)
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