JC findings massive setback for PTI

ISLAMABAD: On the heels of surfacing of a case of alleged corruption by the party’s mining minister Ziaullah Afridi, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has received a massive setback in shape of Judicial Commission’s report on 2013 polls, which may be a defining juncture for its future course.
Of great interest will be how Imran conducts himself and the party in coming days and weeks. Will he react differently to the commission’s report or follow traditional politics and politicians, throw the report away and forget about it when he goes back to the shocked party leaders and workers.
Party leaders concede that the commission’s findings are not at all a win-win situation for the PTI as well as the government, as their main allegation of organized rigging had not been proved.
Imran had alleged umpteenth times that the incumbent legislatures are a product of rigged elections.
Imran often talks about Western democracy and its success stories. Isn’t it time for him to follow one of the most instances wherein Labour Party leader Ed Miliband had to resign on his party’s huge defeat in general election in May this year?
The PTI chief had repeatedly blamed so many key figures, including the then chief justice, former justice and some others for not so good performance of his party in last elections.
And to press for highest level probe into the rigging allegations, he had been crying about, he staged an unprecedented sit-in in Islamabad, which claimed precious lives of some party workers.
Imran has to go back to the party cadres to justify the decision of Azadi March and sit-in besides countless press briefings and speeches the focus of which had been huge rigging in 2013 polls.
A Judicial Commission was formed, which has come up with its findings, which indeed are not sweet music to Imran’s ears. Needless to say, it is to be seen, whether or not, the commission report leads to some healthy changes within the party ranks.
Already, PTI chief’s politics is replete with U-turns. Some of these are, his wedding before bringing about a change in Pakistan, payment of power bills to get supply restored, bringing a bizarre end to his massively flawed civil disobedience drive, his decision to withdraw resignations and re-join the National Assembly despite terming Parliament a fake and those sitting inside it thieves and dacoits.
Imran has unfortunately established himself as a politician, who talks big but acts in an ordinary way.
He had formed a three-member commission under the incumbent PTI’s Chief Election Commissioner Tasneem Noorani on the party’s intra party polls, which had declared the electoral exercise largely flawed.
But instead of acting on its report, Imran again constituted an election tribunal, headed by widely-respected Justice Wajeehuddin Ahmad; its other member is Yousaf Gabol. This forum issued its order on October 17, 2014. It called, among other things, for re-poll within three months, reducing term of office of the party’s elected persons to two years.
Through orders, the tribunal continued reminding and even cautioning Imran to follow the order in letter and spirit, who instead, summarily asked the tribunal stop functioning, which was defied by Wajeehuddin.
Then take the case of Ziaullah, which was brought to his notice last year by PTI’s so-called forward bloc, led by Qurban Ali, the MPA elected from Nowshera, PK-16. They had given documentary proofs against the mining minister. However, to their dismay, it was totally ignored.
It was only recently that not Imran or his party, the provincial Accountability Commission took action against the minister. It is widely alleged that few key PTI leaders, sitting in Islamabad are sooner or later, to be probed for their role in corruption.
It goes without saying that the commission report throws up an opportunity to the party chairman to show how different he is from the rest of politicians on receiving a political set-back.