A debate has started in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) over holding intra-party elections with majority of the party leaders resisting the polls before the 2018 general election “to avoid division in the party”, it was revealed on Monday.
There are two reasons for this debate – PTI failed to implement the much-touted mobile phone voting mechanism and because a majority of the party’s leaders have termed intra-party elections “an effort to make cracks in the party visible”.
PTI launched a countrywide membership campaign ahead of its intra-party elections which were promised by party Chief Imran Khan. PTI membership campaign ends on April 15, but there are reports that there is a strong opposition in the party over holding intra-party polls.
PTI Parliamentary Board member Samar Ali Khan said that PTI has done 95 per cent of its homework on the intra-party elections, but said the party is facing problems in implementing SMS voting because of technological problems.
“We are using technology to avoid casting of fake votes as observed in the last intra-party elections, but we cannot ensure that it won’t happen again if the balloting is held through SMS,” Khan said.
“The PTI membership campaign will end on April 15 and the list of the members will be issued shortly, but I am among those party leaders who strongly recommended not holding intra-party election at this stage,” Khan maintained.
“A debate is going on in our party to postpone intra-party election and start preparation for 2018 general election,” Khan said, adding, “Even if we start preparing for 2018 elections from today, we barely have enough time. There is certainly no time for intra-party elections.”