![](https://nextpakistan.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/11566282780348gohar-khan-afpupdates-170927953098716_9.webp)
- March 3, 2024
- Kainat Shakeel
- 0
According to results provided on Sunday by the party’s spokesperson and Chief Election Commissioner Raoof Hasan, Barrister Gohar Khan was re-anointed as the PTI chairman following new intra-party polls. Hasan disclosed this information at a press conference in Islamabad. Gohar was elected chairman without any opposition. This is the third time in the last two years that PTI has held intraparty elections. The previous one on December 2nd saw the Supreme Court eventually revoke the party’s electoral “bat” symbol in response to a series of contradictory rulings from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the Peshawar High Court (PHC). The election on December 2nd resulted in Gohar’s first election as PTI chairman.
The PTI conducted elections in June 2022 before they were canceled by the ECP on November 23, citing “highly objectionable” reasons. Imprisoned PTI leader Imran Khan had proposed Barrister Ali Zafar for chairmanship after it was decided to hold fresh intra-party elections on March 3. After Zafar declined to take on the chairmanship, Imran nominated Barrister Gohar once more for the position, party insiders said Dawn a few days later. Hasan declared at the news conference today that Gohar was the clear winner of the chairmanship because no other candidates ran.
He mentioned that at first, Naveed Anjum Khan, Barrister Gohar, Omar Ayub, and Ashraf Jabbar submitted four applications for the job. Three of the applications were approved, but Naveed’s was not. Because Naveed ran in the general elections on February 8 against a candidate backed by the PTI, his application was denied, and on February 11 his party membership was revoked, according to Raoof. He mentioned that another reason for the denial was that, even though Naveed reapplied for party membership on February 24, being a continuous member for at least six months is a requirement to run for intraparty office.
Then, “for the sake of party unity and harmony,” Jabbar and Ayub “graciously withdrew their applications.” As a result, Gohar was pronounced the winner without opposition because no contenders were running against him. Without any opposition, he was chosen as party chairman, Hasan stated. As there were no other candidates for the post, Omar Ayub was elected PTI’s secretary general without any opposition, according to Hasan. The sole candidates for the role were Gohar and Ayub, therefore on Friday they were informed of their positions. According to Hasan, a summary of the outcomes of the party’s provincial presidential elections will be released soon.
Even though the party’s last two elections “ran into some trouble” with the electoral watchdog, he emphasized that the latest intra-party polls were conducted in compliance with the ECP’s standards.