PTI Karachi announces office-bearers for districts

In a move that aims to prepare the party for the upcoming local government polls in the metropolis, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has formally announced the newly nominated office-bearers for Karachi’s districts. However, party sources say that the party has been facing a rift in almost all districts over the recent announcement of the candidates.

The PTI Karachi region leadership on Thursday announced presidents, secretaries general and other office-bearers for the seven district bodies – Central, West, South, East, Korangi, Malir Urban and Malir Rural, accommodating some of its members of the Sindh Assembly and former candidates in the general elections 2018 for the district positions. The letters of the announcement of the district leadership have been issued by PTI Karachi secretary general and MPA Saeed Afridi.

The party has split District Malir into two organisational structures – Malir Urban and Malir Rural – mainly because the district at local government administrative levels has been divided into two boroughs - District Municipal Cooperation Malir and District Council Karachi.

The party has chosen MPAs Riaz Haider and Abbas Jaffari to lead the party in District Central as president and secretary general.

Amjad Afridi and Abdul Rehman, a runner-up candidate from PS-115 in the general polls, have been made president and secretary of District West respectively. UC chairman Keamari Shujat Ali, an advocate, and MPA Rabistan Khan have been appointed senior vice-president and vice-president respectively for the district.

Amjad Jah, a PTI Karachi’s former joint secretary who had contested a by-election from the then PS-115 in 2016, has been made president of District East. Umair Ahmed Khan and Salman Naqvi have been announced for the posts of secretary general and secretary information respectively.

For District Korangi, Gohar Khattak and Sajid Hussain have been made president and secretary general respectively. Kashif Butt, a PTI leader, has been made the party’s senior vice-president in the district.

Murad Shaikh and Yasir Baloch have been made president and secretary general respectively for District South. Bilal Jadoon and Rehman Motiwala will serve as the party’s senior vice-president and deputy secretary general respectively in the district.

In District Malir Urban, the PTI has nominated its leaders, who contested the general election 2018, to lead the region. The party chose Ejaz Swati for the post of president, Capt Rizwan for senior-vice president and Jamal Abdul Nasir for secretary general.

For District Malir Rural, the party has chosen Qadir Kalmati and Moiz Baloch to lead the party in the rural part of the city. Hafeez Jhoki has been made the party’s secretary information for the district.

The PTI Karachi's leadership claimed that the selection of office-bearers for districts has been completed after proper consultation with party leaders and workers in the district.

However, sources say that the party in almost all districts has been facing a severe rift over the announcement of its officer-bearers, and angry leaders who have been neglected have been planning to protest against the party’s Karachi leadership at the Insaf Hosue, the party’s secretariat in the city.