Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has maintained that the intra-party elections will be held at all cost; no compromise will be made on this matter. He expressed these views while addressing a press conference, here on Saturday. He was accompanied by senior party leaders, including Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Ahsan Rasheed, Hamid Khan, Shafqat Mahmood, Dr Yasmin Rashid and Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed.
While denying all rumours about intra-party elections, Imran said it was decided that the elections will be held and in this connection Hamid Khan will announce the date on November 5. "In the first phase, the election will be held in Islamabad in two weeks time, but the exact date will be announce," he added.
According to him, PTI is the first party to take up the challenge of intra-party elections. The elections will take place no matter whatever the difficulties are and that the delay is purely technical, as the voting will be electronic. As the party membership is increasing by the day the finalisation of the electoral lists is a tedious and lengthy task. This is the most difficult task that the party has taken up since its conception but to ensure merit it is imperative for the party members to go through this process. This competition is healthy and that it will only make the party more strong.
He dismissed the rumours that there was a division within the party and added that certain quarters were spreading disinformation. He also said only those people were leaving the party who felt uncomfortable in abiding with the party's rules. To a question, Imran said, "I cannot understand why I was offloaded from the New York-bound flight. I was questioned by the US immigrant officials and during the conversation they did ask about my stance on drone attacks. No questions regarding my visa status and fund-raising activities in the US were asked.
"However, I was disappointed over the fact that no Pakistani government official lodged a protest or issued a statement over the matter; it was not Imran Khan but a Pakistani leader of a national political party was offloaded from the plane," he said.
He told the newsmen that PTI stands by the Supreme Court's historic verdict in the Asghar Khan case and demands that a thorough investigation should be conducted by FIA to unmask all those who have been involved with the ISI. Imran Khan lamented the targeted killing of innocent people, stating that bullet-riddled bodies were found every now and then all over the province, and asserted that incidents of abduction are at peak. He blamed the sitting government for its inability to resolve the crisis.
He also condemned firing incident at a petrol pump in Khuzdar, Balochistan. He said the party condemns all acts of violence targeting people of Pakistan and it is very unfortunate that the extremists are targeting civilians, including women and children. "The PTI will announce its Youth Policy on November 4 (today at the National Youth Convention being held at the Expo Centre Lahore. Through this convention PTI aims to provide the youth with a platform to show their potential and their struggle for change," he added.