ISLAMABAD: The newly-elected Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Wednesday retained party’s jailed Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi at his current post after the party’s intra-party elections which took place last week.

The flamboyant Barrister Khan, who was elected as party chairman unopposed after the incarcerated founding chairman handpicked him to contest intra-party polls for the top slot, issued the notification which said that “Shah Mahmood Qureshi is hereby appointed as PTI Vice Chairman with immediate effect”.

Qureshi, who is currently in jail alongside Imran Khan in controversial cypher case, sent out a message from the prison cell a day ago that “I’m and will remain with my leader Imran Khan whether he gives me any position in the party or not as I’m a proud worker of PTI”.

Qureshi made this statement in response to a question by a journalist inside Adiala Jail where Imran Khan was also present during the hearing of the cypher case.

Parvez Elahi who is also currently in jail was also retained as central president of the party by the new chairman, which according to insiders was done on the instruction of ex-chairman Imran Khan, for his unwavering support with party despite all the hardships.

Besides, Firdous Shamim Naqvi, Senator Saifullah Abro, Qasim Suri, and Mushtaq Ghani were also appointed as central Vice Presidents of the party with immediate effect.

On November 23, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) annulled PTI’s intra-party polls held in June last year, asking the party to hold the elections within 20 days if it wanted to retain its “bat” symbol in the forthcoming general elections slated for February 08 next year.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023