ISLAMABAD: A day after announcing the schedule for fresh intra-party polls, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said on Friday that it had decided to postpone them until the February 08 general elections over the “unfortunate security situation created by the administration” and concerns expressed by party members.

The party will release a revised schedule after the conclusion of the general elections.

It maintained that the commitments of members in their respective constituencies, and PTI venues being unlawfully blocked by the administration as reasons for the delay.

After a long battle and marathon hearings last month, the PTI was stripped of its traditional cricket bat symbol when the Supreme Court upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)’s decision to declare the party’s inter-party polls as unconstitutional.

As a result, the party’s members are now contesting the elections as independent candidates with different electoral symbols, raising fear of horse-trading and floor crossing. The PTI also no longer has the right to reserved seats for women and minorities.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024