PTI wants early polls ‘by hook or by crook’

• Senior member says PTI to start a shuttle diplomacy to convince others on a joint course
• Party’s media wing says Imran likely to appear before ECP in foreign funding case

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), under the chairmanship of party Chairman Imran Khan, on Monday decided to explore ‘all available options’ to evolve a strategy to force quick elections.

The Core Committee, a decision-making body, met here at Banigala to review the strategy and contacts with other like-minded parties. A senior party member said that the leadership has decided to review all the possibilities to force early elections including the resignations from the assemblies.

“Yes, things are moving very fast. We have decided to work with other opposition parties to evolve a strategy to force quick elections. All options including resignations would be on the table,” he said, adding that the party would start a shuttle diplomacy to convince them on a joint course.

“Though we have not ruled out resignations from the assemblies for the time being, resignations would be the last option. For the time being, we are not mulling resignations at this stage,” the source said and added that resignations would come at later stage. “The stage of resignations is yet to come. For the time being, we would warm up the people. Imran Khan would hold public rallies in different cities,” he said.

The record submitted before the court was neither complete nor accurate, the source said, adding that it conceals official and private bank accounts which are used to collect and receive funds from abroad. The election body announced that the ECP would conduct a detailed analysis of the PTI record. The next date of hearing is set for November 21.

IMRAN LIKELY TO APPEAR: PTI’s central media wing announced that the core committee also decided that Imran Khan would appear before the Election Commission of Pakistan in the foreign funding case. After taking in-depth discussion, the party members recommended that the party chairman should appear before the ECP during the next hearing.

However, the committee has decided to continue pursue the case in the Islamabad High Court in which party has challenged the jurisdiction of ECP regarding contempt of court. “ECP has failed to perform its duties with letter and soul,” the meeting declaration said. The ECP has been showing unusual activeness in some cases and negligence in other cases that caused the damage for the party, it said.

“As a political party, PTI has complete right to present its view point at any issue and refraining from critics or expressing reservation on ECP is undemocratic and tantamount to damage democratic values,” they said. On October 12, the Election Commission has issued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of Imran Khan in relation to the contempt of court case.

A five-member ECP bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Justice Sardar Raza Khan heard the contempt case against the PTI chief. As Imran did not submit reply on the show-cause notice issued to him by the commission, the ECP issued his non-bailable warrants for the arrest.

IMRAN WILL NOT BE DISQUALIFIED: Talking to journalists after offering condolence with Makhdoom Jamil-u-Zaman on the demise of his mother, PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that Imran Khan would not be disqualified and he would appear before the Election Commission whenever he deems fit to appear.

“Imran Khan will not be disqualified. We want accountability process should move forward. We will organise a mass gathering in Islamabad if someone impedes the process of accountability,” he said and demanded that Uzair Baloch and Model Town tragedy reports be made public. “Sindh is part of Pakistan and it is a unit of Pakistan,” he told a questioner.