Gohar submits papers for party chairman

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) senior leaders Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Omar Ayub Khan Sunday submitted nomination papers for the intra-party polls for the slots of party chairman and secretary general.

Federal Election Commissioner Raoof Hasan had issued the schedule for the party polls, a few days back, according to which the time for filing nomination papers for the intra-party elections was till 3:00pm on February 25.

The polling in the federal capital and the four provinces will be held on March 3 in the PTI’s fresh bid to qualify for the election symbol and to be more effective in the legislatures.

While Barrister Gohar submitted his nomination papers for top slot in the party, the nomination papers of a 15-member panel, headed by Central Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan for the central organisation, were also submitted.

Barrister Gohar was ‘elected’ chairman of the party in the last intra-party polls, conducted on December 2, 2023, which were declared illegal by the Election Commission of Pakistan and this was endorsed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan as well afterwards in its judgment.

Dr Yasmin Rashid, Muhammad Khan Madni and Asad Hanif also submitted nomination papers of the panels for the provincial organisation of Punjab.

Likewise, Ashraf Qureshi from Sindh, Muhammad Aslam from Balochistan and Naveed Anjum from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have also filed their nomination papers for the post of chairman.

Similarly, nomination papers of two panels led by Haleem Adil Sheikh and Bakhsh Ghulam Muhammad, nominated by the founder chairman, were received for the party’s Sindh organisation.

Balochistan founder chairman’s nominee Dr Munir Baloch and five others submitted their nomination papers along with their panels.

Syed Jafar Agha, Nawabzada Aminullah Jogizai, Dawood Shah, Syed Abdul Sadiq and Babar Murghzani filed their nomination papers along with their panels for the Balochistan organisation.

The nomination papers of the panel led by Ali Amin Gandapur, who was nominated by the founder chairman from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, were also received. Gandapur is among a few PTI senior members, who had not joined the Sunni Ittehad Council recently.

The Federal Election Commission has appointed separate returning officers at the Centre and in the provinces, who received nomination papers from candidates seeking to participate in intra-party elections.