PTI forms committee after differences emerge over town office-bearers

Worried over differences in the party’s ranks that surfaced over recent appointments of office-bearers at the town level in Karachi ahead of the upcoming local government polls, the Pakistan Tehreek-Insaf (PTI) Sindh chapter has formed a five-member high-powered committee to resolve such disputes.

Differen­ces within the PTI ranks that had been simmering for some time became public on Thursday when Shakoor Shad, a party MNA from Lyari who defeated Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in the last general elections, announced his decision to quit politics.

The MNA had serious reservations over the appointments of PTI office-bearers in Lyari Town without any consultation with him.

Other PTI leaders, including MNA Captain (retd) Jamil Ahmed and former Karachi president Ashraf Qureshi, have also expressed concerns over the appointments of party office-bearers in various Towns, The News has learnt.

On Friday, PTI Sindh president and former federal minister Ali Zaidi formed a five-member committee to address the workers’ grievances, if any, over the organisational restructuring in the Karachi division at the town level. The committee comprises former opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly Firdous Shamim Naqvi, former Sindh governor Imran Ismail, PTI parliamentary leader in the Sindh Assembly Khurrum Sher Zaman, former special assistant to prime minister Mahmood Maulvi and MNA Akram Cheema.

“All those [having] any issues must submit them formally in writing at the Insaf House, party’s Karachi headquarters, to the grievances committee,” reads a notification issued by the party. “[The] grievances committee will hear and examine the arguments from both sides and give its recommendation within 48 hours.”

Conversations with PTI leaders suggest that the participation of a large number of people in the Bagh-e-Jinnah rally has made the party’s central leadership, particularly chairman Imran Khan, confident that the party would sweep the upcoming local government elections scheduled for July 26 from Karachi.

“However, the reports of differences over the positions at the town level had worried the party leadership and therefore a high-powered committee comprising central leaders has been formed to resolve the differences,” a PTI leader who is privy to the development told The News. He added that the party has also been expecting the surfacing of such differences over the awarding of tickets in the upcoming local government polls.

The PTI leader said that the party leadership had directed their Sindh and Karachi leaders to take effective steps to strengthen the party's organisational structure at the town and union committee levels ahead of the local bodies elections.