Wajih questions transparency of PTI's intra-party polls

PTI's former chief of election tribunal, former Justice Wajihuddin Ahmed on Thursday said that the upcoming intra-party elections of the party are nothing but mere "eyewash". Talking to Business Recorder on telephone, he said that the procedure adopted for the elections, in which some important office-bearers such as chairman, provincial secretary generals, treasures, etc will be handpicked, indicates how transparent elections the party is going to hold.
"The way these people are moving forward under the guise of holding intra-party elections, showed that they are bent upon selecting pirs, waderas, etc this time again. Unless all the recommendations made by the panel are adopted, it can't be called an election, rather it's a selection," he added.
He said that he had sent numerous emails to the authorities concerned by pointing out the flaws, but despite the passage of several days, his suggestions remain pending before the party's election tribunal, adding if this attitude prevails there would be more irregularities than 2013 intra-party elections.
"To me, these are not elections rather the party is fulfilling the formalities under the pretext of intra-party elections. If it is a democratic party, there should be no selection, which will tarnish the image of the party," he maintained. He said the provisional office-bearers who were found guilty of manipulating previous intra-party polls need to be separated from the process and amalgamating the party's new and old members for voting purposes would make the election exercise doubtful as nowhere are new and old members amalgamated for voting purposes.
He clarified that if fresh members are allowed to vote then hundreds and thousands of factory workers and peasants cowed down by industrialists and landlords may get the votes to win their seats.
Another major blunder which the party is going to commit, he added, is the membership drive under which anybody can become a member by merely inserting his/her CNIC number, and there is no mechanism to verify who they are, adding these people may ultimately become district office-bearers. He suggested that the old voters list of 7.2 million members be used for next intra-party polls rather than including fresh members and the traditional ballot system be adopted for polling votes, adding if these suggestions, which election tribunal made in March 2015, are ignored the upcoming exercise would be annulled on the basis of being manipulated and rigged.