Just minutes after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Central Election Commission issued a press statement de-notifying all of the party’s elected officials in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of their party offices, the party’s chairman announced a volte face.
On Tuesday evening, a notification issued by the PTI’s Central Election Commission stated that the offices of Secretary General (held by KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak), President KP (held by Speaker KP Assembly Asad Qaiser), General Secretary KP (held by provincial minister Shaukat Yousufzai), President south region (held by a minister in the provincial cabinet), President Peshawar region (held by a minister in the provincial cabinet), stood vacated with immediate effect.
It listed interim officials for each of the positions, and added that elections will be held after Ramadan.
Soon after that release, a second notification as issued by the PTI’s central media cell in Islamabad bearing a statement from the party chairman Imran Khan. It declared the earlier release was “simply recommendations of the Central Election Commission.”
It added that the CEC’s “recommendations” will be reviewed by the party’s Central Executive Committee before a decision is arrived at.
“Till the meeting of the Central Executive Committee, the recommendations of the Central Election Commission will not come into effect.”
Earlier, party chairman Imran Khan in a meeting with the Central Executive Committee (CEC) had asked Chief Minister Khattak to relinquish his party position as the PTI manifesto did not allow for anyone to hold two portfolios.
Khattak though had dismissed the reports, claiming they were baseless, and that members of the CEC had shown their support for him. The PTI’s central media cell had also corroborated Khattak’s statement.