On Friday, former ruling party leader Sher Afzal Marwat claimed that Barrister Gohar Ali Khan had been “removed” as the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) due to “unsatisfactory” performance. This statement follows Barrister Gohar’s announcement that the PTI’s next chairman nominee would be Barrister Ali Zafar, ahead of the party’s internal elections.
The position of the former ruling party’s top post had been vacant for over a month following the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the Supreme Court’s rulings, which deemed the party’s intra-party elections unlawful and stripped it of its emblematic ‘bat’ symbol. Consequently, Gohar, who assumed the chairmanship through those elections, was no longer the party head. With the upcoming elections, the party opted for a different candidate.
Marwat expressed dissatisfaction with Gohar’s leadership, citing incompetence and poor performance as the reasons behind his removal. Despite acknowledging Gohar as a gentleman, Marwat emphasized that his performance had not met expectations, particularly in engaging with party workers and effectively leading the party post-election.
Meanwhile, Gohar had endorsed Barrister Ali Zafar and Omar Ayub for the positions of party chairman and secretary-general, respectively, urging support for Zafar’s candidacy. However, Marwat questioned Zafar’s readiness for the role, suggesting that his professional commitments as a lawyer might hinder his ability to manage the party’s affairs effectively.
PTI’s Election on March 3
Marwat indicated that the party founder, Imran Khan, would ultimately decide on the matter, hinting at uncertainties regarding Zafar’s willingness to accept the nomination. Despite the endorsement, doubts lingered regarding Zafar’s mental preparedness for assuming the role of the next party chairman, as suggested by Marwat’s remarks during the interview with Shahzeb Khanzada on Geo News.
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In a statement released on Thursday, the PTI announced that it would hold new internal elections on March 3 (Sunday).PTI’s internal elections were originally scheduled for February 5, but were postponed because of administrative issues and security concerns following the general elections on February 8. The Federal Chief Election Commission of the PTI released the new schedule for the intra-party elections today; they will now take place on March 3.