PESHAWAR: Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has been elected as the new chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) in the intra-party polls held on Saturday, as directed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Niazullah Niazi, the party’s chief election commissioner, announced the results, stating that Gohar Ali Khan is the new chairman, and Omar Ayub Khan is the central general secretary, with the new office-bearers elected unopposed.
According to Niazi, Dr. Yasim Rashid is now PTI Punjab chief and Ali Amin Khan Ganadapur will lead the party’s KP chapter. Haleem Adil Sheikh has been elected as the party’s Sindh chapter chief, and Munir Baloch will lead the Balochistan chapter.
The intra-party polls took place at a cricket ground near the Peshawar interchange of the M-1 Motorway, with over 200 party workers present, though prominent leaders were notably absent.
Barrister Gohar, speaking to reporters, highlighted that his panel, along with Omar Ayub Khan, was the sole contender for the party’s top positions. Omar Ayub Khan added that one panel from each province participated, and all were elected unopposed. The formal notification of the election is expected to be issued on Sunday and submitted to the ECP on Monday.
Expressing concerns, Barrister Khan mentioned facing over 180 cases, with new cases being registered daily. He noted the challenges in obtaining relief from the courts and emphasized that more than half of the party’s leadership is currently underground.
Gohar asserted that the party being imposed on the country lacked credibility and popularity among the masses, emphasizing the importance of hearing the voice of the people.
Barrister Khan, representing Imran Khan, stated that they proposed making someone from Imran Khan’s family the party chief, but the suggestion was rejected. Following the elections, the new party chief visited the PTI Central Secretariat in Islamabad, where Central Information Secretary Raoof Hassan welcomed him, praising Imran Khan for nominating a worker as the party chairman and burying the politics of inheritance.
He also addressed claims by PTI founding member Akbar S. Babar, stating that Babar was not a member of PTI and was launched to keep the former ruling party out of general elections.
