After a dismal performance in the cantonment board elections coupled with a barrage of complaints, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) has constituted a committee to inquire into the procedure of awarding party tickets, local media reported on Sunday.
“In consultation with the chairman, an Inquiry Committee is hereby notified to carry out a detailed investigation into the procedure followed for awarding of party tickets in the recent Cantonment Board elections and the subsequent results of the election,” said a notification issued by PTI Secretary General Jahangir Khan Tareen.
The two-member committee that comprises Chaudhry Sarwar [Chairman] and Rai Azizullah, has been tasked to look into sub optimal results in urban centres of Punjab where the party has a strong following. However, despite PTI’s expectations, these urban centres also happen to be strongholds of its archrival, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
The committee will “especially inquire into the reasons for the suboptimal results in key districts like Rawalpindi, Lahore, Gujranwala, Sargodha and Sialkot among others,” said the notification issued late Friday night.
According to results of the cantonment board elections, the PML-N secured 68 out of the 199 seats whereas the PTI secured 42 seats. The PPP won seven seats in the elections, MQM secured 19 seats, Jamat-e-Islami (JI) six seats and Awami National Party (ANP) won two seats. Independent candidates have secured 55 seats in total.
Insiders said that the committee was constituted after the party received a barrage of complaints related to awarding tickets to blue-eyed candidates by provincial leadership. In this regard allegations have been levelled against Azam Swati, the party’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chapter president.
