Banning PTI for upcoming polls not on the cards

ISLAMABAD: Banning the PTI for next general elections, to be held on Feb 8, 2024, is not on the cards, claim senior government sources.

Information Minister Murtaza Solangi, when contacted, also confirmed and said neither the banning of PTI was on the agenda nor the issue came under discussion anytime.

Interestingly, Leader of the Opposition in the last National Assembly Raja Riaz, who has now joined the PMLN, also changed his earlier prediction that there will be neither PTI nor its symbol, bat, on the ballot paper for the contest. Now he says the situation has changed and PTI will be allowed to contest the polls but explains why the PTI would not get much in the elections.

Talking to The News on Thursday, Raja Riaz said the election contest for the PTI will be really difficult as it lacks three major things, experience, money and time.

The PTI leadership is, however, pretty confident of giving a major surprise on the election day, if it is allowed even without a level playing field to contest the polls. The symbol of bat on the ballot paper, they believe, will be enough for a surprise. Not only PTI Chairman Imran Khan believes so, the jailed PTI President Pervez Elahi said on Thursday that the PTI will get votes beyond imagination.

A key intelligence source, when approached, said that the talk about the huge popularity of PTI is merely a myth and far from reality. The source said that the ground realities are different from the general perception.

Results of a recent survey, reported by The News, showed the PTI’s popularity of 41 percent in Punjab, 28 percent of PMLN, 4 percent of PPP, 6 percent of TLP, etc. In the case of Sindh, 36 percent said PTI, 35 percent said PPP, 3 percent PMLN, 2 percent MQM and others. In the case of KP, 69 percent would vote for PTI, 12 percent for PMLN and 2 percent for PPP. In the case of Balochistan, PTI again topped the list with 36 percent, followed by PPP 18 percent, ANP 11 percent and PMLN 11 percent.

Nearly 2 in 5 (37 percent) respondents say they would vote for PTI even if Imran Khan is not the president of the party. Nearly half of PTI voters say they would still vote for PTI if Imran Khan is not the president of the party. If PTI does not stand in the election, nearly a quarter of respondents would vote for PMLN.

Raja Riaz was of the view that the PTI’s popularity will not matter because PTI lacks on three major areas, experience, money and time. He explained that the vast majority of PTI MNAs and MPAs have left the party after May 9 and now it would be hard for the party to find appropriate candidates for the elections.

He said that those awarded tickets for the elections will not only be lacking the election experience but will also not have much time to run an election campaign and reach out to voters. He said that unlike in the past, the PTI will also be facing funding issues.

Raja Riaz said that contesting elections and poll day dynamics are critically important, which need experience, time and money, none of which will be available to the PTI candidates this time.

A few months back, Raja Riaz had said that the PTI would be banned and the party’s symbol of bat would be withdrawn by the Election Commission of Pakistan whereas Imran Khan would remain behind the bars. Now he says that the situation has changed. He said that ballot paper will have the symbol of bat.