PTI to launch polls drive from tomorrow

ISLAMABAD: As Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) announced on Thursday launch of its electioneering from tomorrow (Saturday), its senior member Sher Afzal Marwat said the party’s founding Chairman Imran Khan had expressed displeasure about Raoof Hasan and denied having issued notification (statement) for him (Marwat) to be back from Sindh.

Both PTI’s senior leader Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Sher Afzal Marwat spoke to media outside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, after having met the incarcerated founding chairman, who denied to have given any directions about him.

Replying to questions, Marwat said that Imran Khan had expressed his ignorance about any notification and aired displeasure (about Raoof) and conveyed it through the ‘party chairman’ while looking towards Gohar, standing beside him.

PTI’s senior member said he would resume his campaign in Sindh and would go wherever, the party would need him.

The Central Media Department issued a statement Wednesday that Imran Khan had asked Marwat to suspend his activities, and he summoned him to Islamabad.

During chat with reporters, Gohar said the party’s election campaign would be launched from Saturday and that consultation on some tickets regarding lawyers will be completed and the final list of candidates will be released. He added there were issues about 30-40 tickets. About Marwat, he said that there was no need of any notification for him, who was carrying out his activities with the concurrence of the party and that he would go to Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan.

Gohar said his party stood by the armed forces and that the armed forces had given an effective reply to transgression by Iran. However, he said both countries should sort out matters through parleys. He added there should be no tension between Pakistan and Iran.