Pakistan PM Imran names new organisational structure for his party PTI

Tariq Butt, Correspondent

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday named the new organisational structure for his Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI), a day after dissolving all previous bodies following an embarrassing defeat in the first phase of local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

The announcement of the prime minister's decision was made by Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry through his official Twitter account.

He said Planning Minister Asad Umar had been chosen as the secretary general; Defence Minister Pervez Khattak as the KP president; Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi as the Sindh president; National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri as the Balochistan president; Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood as thePunjab president; and Minister for Industries and Production Khusro Bakhtiar as the South Punjab president.

Chaudhry had announced the dissolution of previous organisations after a meeting of the party's senior leadership that was chaired by the premier.

He said the prime minister had expressed dissatisfaction over the party's performance in KP local body polls where it suffered an embarrassing defeat. He said that according to the results of the elections in village councils, the PTI was still the "biggest party in the province."

"But the way tickets were awarded, the PTI does not believe in dynastic politics. The prime minister has never let his personal relations affect his mission."

He said that the PTI leadership had debated the party's organizational structure. He said that the way the PTI - one of the major political parties of the country - should have participated in the local government polls was not evident on ground.

Therefore, the prime minister - after consulting with the party leadership - decided to dissolve all organizations from the centre to the tehsils, he said.

"Chief organisers and all office bearers have been removed from their positions. It has also been decided that the local leadership will not award party tickets when it comes to their relatives. A special committee will be formed where the case will be forwarded and it will decide whether or not to award the ticket.”

Chaudhry said that a separate committee had been constituted which would include himself, KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, Khattak, Communication and Postal Services Minister Murad Saeed, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Energy Minister Hammad Azhar, Bakhtiar, Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, Umar and others. The committee had been tasked with proposing a new constitution and party structure.