INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: Incarcerated former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, has opted out of participating in the intra-party elections
Instead, he has nominated Barrister Gohar Khan to vie for the position of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman, leading the party into
the upcoming general elections, as revealed by a senior party leader on Wednesday.Barrister Ali Zafar of PTI clarified that Imran Khan would
not be partaking in the intra-party polls scheduled for December 2, as reported by Dawn.This announcement followed a recent controversy
within the party when one of its senior leaders claimed that Imran Khan would not contest the intra-party polls for the chairman's role
and had chosen a substitute.Addressing the media outside the Election Commission of Pakistan in Islamabad, Zafar explained that Imran Khan
had been convicted in the Toshakhana case
Despite emphasizing that failure to declare Toshakhana gifts should not lead to disqualification, Zafar expressed concerns about potential
"illegal or unconstitutional" actions by the ECP that could impact the party's symbol or candidate nominations.While mentioning that Imran
Khan's Toshakhana sentence was temporarily suspended, Zafar stressed that a "final decision" had not been reached
According to Zafar, discussions with Imran and other lawyers focused on avoiding any pretext for the ECP to deny the party its bat symbol or
impede candidate nominations
Imran conveyed his desire to participate in the general elections without providing any excuse to the ECP.Zafar quoted Imran as saying, "The
We will win the elections when they happen
Intra-party polls hold no meaning for me
I want that the Toshakhana case is decided as soon as possible
When it is decided, I will contest intra-party polls as chairman." Additionally, Zafar mentioned that the former premier directed the party
to conduct intra-party polls, and the decision was approved by the senior leadership, as reported by Dawn
Imran Khan intends to refrain from participating in intra-party polls until a verdict is reached in the Toshakhana case.
