ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Saturday said it would take strict disciplinary action, including possible expulsions, against party members defying internal decisions ahead of Senate elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
PTI acting chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan told reporters that several dissenting members failed to appear at a scheduled meeting a day ago and had ignored directives to withdraw their nominations.
“The Chief Minister [Gandapur] and I waited for them, but they did not come,” he said.
The party has referred the issue to its political committee, which, following internal consultations, instructed dissenting candidates to pull out by Sunday. “If they fail to comply, action will be taken under party discipline,” Gohar said, adding that the individuals in question hold formal positions within PTI.
13 vacant seats in KP, Punjab: ECP to hold Senate polls this month
The internal rift comes as PTI seeks to consolidate control in the Senate through unopposed elections in the provincial assembly. According to party sources, veteran PTI members, including Irfan Saleem, Ayesha Bano, Waqas Orakzai, and Khurram Zeeshan, voiced dissatisfaction over the allocation of Senate tickets, accusing the leadership of sidelining long-time workers.
Despite the unrest, the party’s political committee has approved a plan for unopposed elections in the province.
A declaration following the committee’s meeting stated that all candidates had withdrawn their papers after resolving differences with party leaders.
PTI leadership said the decision, taken in consultation with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa parliamentary party, aimed to curb vote buying and selling - an issue that has marred past Senate polls in the country.
The final list of PTI-backed candidates includes Murad Saeed, Faisal Javed, Mirza Afridi, and Noorul Haq Qadri for general seats. Rubina Naz was nominated for the women’s reserved seat, Azam Swati for the technocrat seat, and Mishal Yousafzai for the seat vacated by former senator Sania Nishtar.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.