PTI holds historic, first ever intra-party election

As around 63,000 voters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) went for intra-party polls for the federal capital on Sunday, most of the enthusiastic youth experienced numerous difficulties due to blockage of the land-lines dedicated for the election and jamming of mobile-phone networks.
However, despite repeated requests by the voters and candidates, Hamid Khan, chief election commissioner for the PTI polls, did not extend the deadline of 12am for polls and the polling continued until filing of this report.
Great enthusiasm was witnessed at the polling stations as media teams witnessed voters in long queues. The PTCL phone lines dedicated and publicised for voting had been blocked by the government, apparently in order to disrupt the polling.
Emotional voters expressed their annoyance with the blockage of the phone lines, complaining that they had made arrangements for almost a month for the polling day but things had changed following the blockage.
“Since phone lines were not responding, I tried the cell phone number, but that was also not working either due to network problem or due to some conspiracy. So I came here to cast my vote,” said Mohammad Zaman, a voter at G-9 Markaz polling station. Another voter, Shafique Ahmed, said the poling officer at I-10 Markaz polling station did not allow him to cast his vote despite the fact that he had presented a copy of his CNIC.
The polling officer said the party did not allow casting vote on a copy of the CNIC and the original card was mandatory, he said.
PTI chief Imran Khan congratulated workers for taking part in the first-ever intra-party election, saying the PTI would get rid of family control in the political parties and voters would chose their leaders through transparent system of voting.
“This is a historic day. The PTI workers have laid foundation of change and a new Pakistan would emerge from these polls where the masses’ whims would prevail and there would be no place for political monarchs. This is a real change and this change process would continue until the people see their true leaders taking over from the coterie of corrupt,” he remarked.
PTI President Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, Secretary Information Shafqat Mahmood, Ayla Malik, Dr Israr Shah and others visited polling stations established in G-6, G-9, G-10, I-10 sectors and in the suburbs of the federal capital. The selection of the polling stations was intriguing and reflected that the PTI leaders avoided polling stations established in posh areas and rather populous areas were selected with massive voters’ presence.
It was a new chapter in the country’s history as voters exercised their right to choose around 500 party leaders for the federal capital in the first-ever intra-party elections held in the country.
Though over 70 percent voters cast their votes through cell phones and SMS messages, around 41 polling stations were established across the federal capital to facilitate those who either did not have access to cell phones or did not know how to vote through the new gadgets.
It was also for the first time the voters exercised their right to vote through modern gadgets and information technology – paving the way for a new, transparent system of voting where the voters were able to choose their leadership without any fear or favour.
Talking to reporters, Javed Hashmi said it was a great day and the PTI workers gave a message to other political workers to get rid of the rotten culture and their lifetime chairmen.
“This is a day of hope for a change. I can see a new political culture emerging from these elections. I have waged struggle for change in the political parties and now this change is taking place,” he added.
Shafqat Mahmood said the PTI had conducted real election in the party and this was not a drama.
“Though we don’t have the resources that a government enjoys, yet we have installed a mechanism where over seven million PTI voters would take part in the party polls. This process of elections would be completed by end of December or in early January,” he added.
Mahmood also condemned the government’s tactics for blocking the phone numbers dedicated for voting and said the PTI would face the government’s tactics bravely.
PTI leader Ayla Malik felicitated the PTI workers on the eve of the intra-party polls and said it was a historic day for the party as well as the country.
“This is a big day and the political workers have succeeded to win their right to choose their leaders. This election would help smash family control in political parties. This would also trigger a political awareness and the political activists would not allow family hegemonies and the culture of nominations anymore,” she added.