PTI gets short code to contact people through SMS

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has become first ever political party that has acquired short code 9008 from Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) that would enable it to directly send or receive short message service (SMS) to and from some 140 million mobile phone users in the country through its own server, the sources told The News here on Sunday.
“The short code will greatly help PTI make a fast-track contact with the people living all over the country. First, the code will be used in intra-party elections of PTI in which the party members will also be able to cast their vote using their registered subscriber identity module (SIM),” the sources said.
The sources said PTI would also make agreements with the cellular companies that would provide necessary cellular network to use the short code, adding “The code will also help PTI mobilize the people especially youngsters for protest, rallies, public meetings and political movement.”
The sources said PTI has decided to hold its intra-party elections soon after the last phase of local bodies’ elections in Punjab and Sindh for which the number of central top party slots would be reduced to five including president, general secretary, senior vice president, vice president and joint secretary.
They said PTI chairman Imran Khan would allow some changes in the party constitution to ensure smooth conduct of intra-party elections to be supervised by party’s chief election commissioner Tasneem Noorani whose appointment was made by him in last week of March this year.
“The elected office-bearers will finally make necessary amendments in the party constitution to ensure complete democracy within the party. There is a suggestion to reduce discretionary powers of the party chairman and enable the elected members to take decisions in more democratic way,” the sources said.
When contacted, PTI leader Asad Umer told The News they have acquired short code to keep in touch with the party members and the people of Pakistan as well through
fast-track means of communication.
“The large scale use of cellular phones offers a lot of opportunities to cash in on the digitalized means of communication and PTI is doing the same keeping in view growing needs in the field of politics,” he said.
To a question, he said the PTI chairman can make some changes in the party constitution related to holding intra party elections but the elected members would finally make major changes in this respect.
Asad Umer said the intra-party elections would be held after local bodies’ elections in the country and the PTI’s chief election commissioner has been given unprecedented powers to remove any chances of rigging at any level.