Not only has Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) successfully conducted intra-party elections within 20 days to successfully retain its electoral symbol—bat— in accordance with the directions of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), it has also elected Gohar Ali Khan as “temporary” chairman as Imran Khan remains behind the bars owing to a slew of cases that he has been facing along with a number of other leaders of his party.

Imran Khan and his teammates deserve commendation for offering a befitting response to the new challenge in an effective and meaningful manner. This development, in my view, has injected a lot of clarity into the situation weeks before the announcement of election schedule, effectively squashing speculations about the future of PTI in country’s politics.

Moreover, this development must have boosted the morale of party’s rank and file ahead of the general election in the country. Holding intraparty elections or electing a new party chairman, however, doesn’t necessarily heralds the end of PTI’s woes that have accentuated by the May 9 events.

The situation requires the party to tread the path towards the general election day cautiously. In other words, it must conduct itself in a way that deliberately avoids potential problems and dangers. It is required to reinvent itself in order to brighten its electoral prospects.

It must change its approach to politics so much that it appears to be entirely new. It must not lose sight of the fact that its electoral prospects will take many weeks to recover, requiring it to produce a cautious election manifesto.

It is, however, heartening to note that the PTI’s leadership has certainly become inured to the hardships and tribulations “in the shortest possible time”. I strongly believe that the party will continue to grow even in the extreme hardship.

Abu Adnan (Karachi)

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023