Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday decided to postpone the intra party elections indefinitely, but it did add that the party is committed to hold intra-party elections. The PTI senior leadership that met here under the chairmanship of Imran Khan, decided that at this critical juncture in the nation's history, with the growing crisis over the Panama Papers, the party has to prepare mass mobilisation for a nation-wide movement against corruption, tax evasion and money laundering.
"Therefore, the leadership has decided to postpone the intra party elections indefinitely. However, the party remains committed to intra party elections," it added. The leadership also expressed serious concern over the government efforts to pressure the independent media, especially the electronic media, it said, adding the government is using Pakistan Electronic Media regulatory Authority (PEMRA) through its head, Absar Alam, whose appointment itself is controversial, given his activism for ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), to harass those television networks that fail to tow the government line.
The PTI leadership felt it was simply unacceptable that the government was using public funds in efforts to stop TV channels from conducting investigations into corruption and exposing the guilty, while lavishing disproportionate funds to those channels that fall in line with the government's propaganda. The independent media has fought for its freedom and independence and PTI stands behind the independent media and will not allow the government to use PEMRA and its chief for its nefarious designs.