Akbar S Babar slams PTI leadership, calls for ‘credible’ intra-party polls

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founding member Akbar S. Babar criticised the party on Wednesday for fostering “anarchy and chaos” in the country, alleging that Adiala Jail has become a de facto camp office for Imran Khan

Speaking to the media outside the Election Commission Secretariat, Babar, who was a close confidante of PTI leader Imran Khan for years, expressed regret that Adiala Jail was being used as an unofficial PTI headquarters, in violation of both the law and jail regulations.

“The jail, where Imran is currently incarcerated, is being used to issue protest calls designed to spread chaos across the country. It is the government’s responsibility to uphold the rule of law, including enforcing jail regulations. If any court order impedes this, it should be challenged in a higher court,” Babar asserted.

He suggested that a law or ordinance be enacted to ban all protests in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) during visits from foreign dignitaries or high-profile international conferences, such as the SCO summit currently being held.

Babar also highlighted that a national conference of PTI founding members and former office bearers was held in Islamabad on January 25, 2024. The event, presided over by Saeedullah Khan Niazi—PTI founding member, founding president of Punjab, and Imran Khan’s first cousin—declared that the current PTI leadership had lost its legal, political, and moral right to lead the party, rejecting their plans for fresh intra-party elections. Babar stressed that no one could impose a party chairman unless lawfully elected by PTI members. He criticised the state of democracy, claiming that individual and family-driven political parties were merely using their platforms to gain power, rather than fostering credible leadership capable of addressing the nation’s challenges.

The PTI’s failure to hold credible intra-party elections, Babar claimed, has led to a constitutional crisis, with the Parliament, election commission, and Supreme Court now at odds.

To resolve the crisis, Babar offered three potential solutions: either the ECP authorises PTI founding members to hold intra-party elections under the law, or a mediation process is initiated, similar to the Supreme Court’s involvement with the ECP and presidency in agreeing on an election date for February 8. “A mediation process could involve the PTI founding chairman appointing a lawyer of his choice to negotiate with the party’s founding members on terms of reference for transparent intra-party elections. If these two options fail, the ECP must enforce the law to its full extent, regardless of the consequences,” Babar added.

He argued that credible intra-party elections are the democratic solution to Pakistan’s leadership crisis. Citing the example of Britain, the birthplace of parliamentary democracy, he said that over a dozen sitting prime ministers, including Margaret Thatcher, were replaced through intra-party elections—even after leading their parties to landslide victories.

Babar clarified that he and other founding members do not seek positions within the PTI, but simply want the party to return to its founding ideals and rid itself of those who have illegally taken control.