By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is wrestling with a deepening internal rift over whether to contest by-elections for national and provincial assembly seats vacated by recent disqualifications of key lawmakers.
As party leaders prepare to meet incarcerated founder Imran Khan today to finalise their strategy, the decision carries high stakes for the party’s political future. The by-elections have exposed tensions within the PTI, with competing factions weighing the need to maintain political relevance against concerns that participation could legitimise a flawed electoral process.
On Monday, the party’s political committee voted 12 to 9 to field candidates, reversing an earlier inclination to boycott the polls, according to sources familiar with the deliberations. The decision appears to contradict Khan’s stance, conveyed by his sister Aleema Khan, who said the former prime minister opposed contesting the elections to avoid dishonouring disqualified leaders.
“Mr. Khan did not want to field any candidates for the by-elections,” Aleema Khan said after meeting him. “If they did, it would appear to be an insult, disrespecting and dishonouring leaders who had been disqualified.”
The message was echoed on Khan’s official X account, though he lacks direct access to social media. The PTI faces multiple challenges: the risk of losing its majority in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly, where it holds power; a push to reclaim political ground in Punjab; and internal divisions between pragmatists and those aligned with Khan’s boycott stance. Fears of further disqualifications, particularly in cases tied to the November 26 protests, have heightened concerns about the party’s grip on KP.
Sources said Monday’s meeting underscored worries that a boycott could cede critical political space to the ruling coalition. To navigate disputes over its intra-party elections and electoral symbol, the PTI will issue candidate tickets under the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) banner, a move to avoid candidates being classified as independents, said PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqqas Akram.
The party has also secured stay orders against the de-seating of leaders like Omar Ayub and Shibli Faraz and reluctantly nominated replacements while pursuing legal challenges. The decision to contest the by-elections has sparked dissent.
Akram, who opposed the move alongside lawyer Salman Akram Raja, said they were outvoted but abided by the majority. Late Monday, Raja announced on X his intent to resign as PTI secretary general, stating, “Tomorrow I will resign from my position by requesting Khan sahib. My legal services will remain available without compensation.”
While Raja did not explicitly cite the by-election decision, its timing suggests it was the catalyst. The shift toward participation reportedly followed a meeting between Khan and his legal team, where Advocate Ali Bukhari urged reconsideration, warning that a boycott could jeopardize the PTI’s KP majority if more legislators are disqualified.
Bukhari also raised the issue of vacant opposition leadership posts in the National Assembly, Senate, and Punjab Assembly. Khan deferred to the political committee, suggesting Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Azam Swati as potential candidates.
In Punjab, where the PTI faces aggressive prosecution, many leaders advocate contesting the polls to maintain visibility. Former Punjab Assembly opposition leader Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar said participation in roughly 14 constituencies could expose government attempts at rigging. “The fog around whether to contest by-elections or not will be cleared up when lawyers meet Imran Khan in Adiala Jail today,” he said.
In contrast, KP offers a more favourable environment, with courts and prosecutors appearing less aggressive, prompting some PTI lawmakers facing Punjab cases to seek relief in the Peshawar High Court or take refuge in KP.
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