PTI reconstitutes political committee on Imran Khan’s instructions

• New committee replaces earlier 40-member body as top decision-making forum.
• Barrister Gohar, Salman Akram, Omar Ayub are among key committee members.
• Committee to frame policy for NA, Senate, and provincial assemblies.
  

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has reconstituted its political committee, comprising 23 members, including representatives from the Tehreek Tahaffuz Aiyeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP).

According to a notification — signed by PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja and Additional Secretary General Firdous Shamim Naqvi —the committee will take effect immediately, The News reported on Saturday.

Unlike the previous committee, which comprised around 40 members, the new committee will serve as the apex decision-making body for all decisions/functions of the party, its wings, and other committees.

The political committee will also lay down policies to be followed by the parliamentary parties of the party in the National Assembly, the Senate, and the provincial assemblies, including the assemblies of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu Kashmir.

The committee comprises PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan, Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, Shamim Naqvi, Sheikh Waqas Akram, KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, and Mahmood Khan Achakzai.

The other members include Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz, Moeen Qureshi,  Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar,  Sajjad Burki, Aliya Hamza, Junaid Akbar, Haleem Adil Sheikh, Dawood Kakar, Khalid Khursheed, Sardar Qayyum Niazi, Asad Qaiser,  Amir Dogar, Fawzia Arshad, Kanwal Shauzab, and Lal Chand Malhi.

Separately, PTI’s former information and founding member, Akbar S Babar, claimed that the formation of a new 23-member political committee is “unconstitutional, illegal, and a blatant violation of the decision of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.”

In his reaction, Babar pointed out that a three-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by the then Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, had ruled that no criminal can be allowed to participate in politics, directly or indirectly, and that all such actions are tantamount to violating the Constitution.

He insisted that it is clearly written in the notification on the letterhead of PTI that the new political committee has been formed on the instructions of the founding chairman of PTI, who has been convicted by the court.

The Election Commission of Pakistan, he noted, had already informed in writing in this regard that no official or organisation of PTI has any legal status at present.

“In these circumstances, the illegal use of the party’s resources, including offices and letterheads, should be stopped immediately,” he argued.

“We have already written to the Election Commission of Pakistan requesting that the illegal use of PTI resources be banned and bank accounts frozen until the legal party elections are held. We hope that the ECP will take notice of this latest violation of the Constitution and take decisive action on our request,” he said.