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Former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan, currently incarcerated at Adiala Jail, will contest the upcoming general elections from three constituencies, Islamabad, Lahore, and Mianwali, according to party Chairman Gohar Ali Khan.
Addressing media outside Adiala alongside PTI Senator Ali Zafar, he said the former prime minister would make the final decision for ticket allocations of all aspiring candidates. He also opposed recent statements by top lawyers’ bodies demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, saying his party opposed any demands that could delay the polling process.
To a question, Gohar alleged the PTI’s candidates were being prevented from contesting the elections. “Nomination papers were snatched from Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s secretary,” he claimed, adding this included affidavits and certificates that would take time to replace. Similar reports, he claimed, were coming from across the country. He warned that if such a situation persisted, it could disturb the law and order situation.
The PTI chairman also urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa to ensure free and fair polls. To a query, he confirmed he would contest the elections from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Buner.
Senator Zafar, meanwhile, said he hoped the Islamabad High Court (IHC) would announce its reserved verdict on Khan’s appeal against his Toshakhana conviction soon, adding if it were set aside, the the former chairman would be eligible to contest elections. Khan currently stands disqualified from contesting elections for the next five years after being found guilty of corrupt practices in the Toshakhana case earlier this year.
Urging all interested PTI workers to submit their nomination papers for the upcoming polls within the deadline, he said Khan had decided to prioritize for ticket allocation currently jailed members. “Those [workers] who rendered sacrifices for the party, are facing cases and braving difficulties will be allotted tickets 100%,” he said. “The rest of the candidates have also been finalized and their names will be announced soon,” he added.
He also maintained that barring any party worker from filing nomination papers was an “undemocratic exercise” and would jeopardize free and fair elections. “We request the ECP to take action on this,” he added.