PTI core committee invests Imran Khan with lifetime party chairmanship

• Elections must be held in 90 days after dissolution of assemblies: PTI.
• Announces challenging amendments to Official Secrets Act in SC.
• Says it will show resistance if it is deprived of its election symbol “bat".

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) core committee on Tuesday passed a resolution handing Imran Khan the party’s chairmanship for a lifetime.

The development came hours before the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified the former prime minister — who was removed from office via a no-trust motion in April last year — for five years, following his indictment and three years’ imprisonment in the Toshakhana case.

“As a consequence, Mr Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi has become disqualified under Article 63(1)(h) of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan read with Section 232 of the Elections Act,2017,” read a notification issued by the ECP.

It also stated that the ECP has de-notified Khan as the “returned candidate” from NA-45 Kurram-l.

Khan was sentenced to three years in prison and a fine of Rs100,000 by Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Humayun Dilawar on August 5, 2023, after the judge found him guilty of graft in the Toshakhana case.

In a statement, the PTI core committee announced challenging the decisions made in the Council of Common Interest (CCI) meeting held on August 5 in the Supreme Court.

The CCI meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif “unanimously” approved the 7th Population and Housing Census, making it almost certain that the general elections — which were to be held in November this year in case the assemblies are dissolved on August 9 — would not be held during the current year.

The participants of the meeting agreed to launch a strong legal and political resistance against every move or tactic aimed at delaying the elections. Elections must be held within 90 days after the dissolution of the assemblies, read the statement.

In line with the directions of Khan from jail, the committee also announced to move the top court against the amendments to Official Secrets Act.

The party also vowed to show resistance against any attempt to deprive PTI of its election symbol “bat”. The party also announced to protect people’s personal freedom at all costs.

The core committee announced celebrating Independence Day in Pakistan and across the world as per the directions of its chairman.