Sweeping amendments in PTI constitution on the cards

ISLAMABAD: A team of experts has given a new shape to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s constitution, which envisages taking away discretionary powers from Chairman Imran Khan and giving these to the (proposed) standing committee on accountability and discipline (SCAD).
Another key amendment is reducing the tenure of elected office-bearers and bodies from four to two years, it was learnt. It merits mention here that in its order the election tribunal of Justice (R) Wajihuddin Ahmad had cut short term of office-bearers to two years, after finding massive electoral irregularities in the intra party election, completed in March 2013.
It was widely desired that the office term should be reduced by a half, though the tribunal’s order was aimed at reduction of the term of those, who had been elected in the wake of first ever PTI intra party election.
Party sources said that within a few weeks, the draft of the new constitution will be put before the central leadership for deliberations so that it could then be up for approval and implementation, which would lay foundation for the new intra party election late this year or early next year.
“Yes, indeed, there have been sweeping amendments in the constitution and you can say, the party document has been given a completely new look,” said one of the experts, who was involved in the months-long exercise of constitutional review during a chat with The News here Tuesday. He said the constitutional committee had at least two interactive sessions with Imran, who happily volunteered to shed discretionary powers, which would now be exercised by an elected forum, to be called the standing committee on accountability and discipline.
Another PTI leader, who has been holding a central party post until the elected bodies and offices were dissolved following the order of the election tribunal in October last year, said the proposed constitution would give his party purely a democratic look unlike family dynasties of Pakistan People’s Party and the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. “The elected committee will hold hearing of any party complaint and then give its judgement, ensuring it is duly implemented,” he maintained.
The proposed constitution of PTI also envisages making it mandatory that office-bearers from the office of the chairman down to tehsil and union council level will be filled through election. About the proposed SCAD, he explained that the name of the body members would be proposed by the party chairman, which would then be put before the central executive committee for approval or otherwise.
Besides, he contended that the PTI electoral college for the central and provincial chapters had been proposed to be expanded to several hundred members to give it a completely democratic shape and make it more participatory electoral process.