Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has postponed its intra-party elections for an indefinite period due to its anti-Nawaz movement in the wake of the Panama leaks.

“We have postponed the intra-party elections because of Panama leaks and our planned sit-in outside Raiwind (the residence of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif),” PTI Chairman Imran Khan announced on Monday.

The party elections were scheduled to be held next month. However, one controversy after another led to their postponement. Meanwhile, the Panama leaks provided an opportunity to Khan to evade the elections as well as polarisation within the party. “We have resolved to launch another movement. This time it will culminate at Raiwind,” he told journalists in Islamabad.

In his televised address on Sunday, Khan demanded immediate resignation of the prime minister after Panama leaks unearthed that his children owned at least two offshore companies. Later, reports emerged that the prime minister was himself a beneficiary of that murky business.

Khan reiterated his demand for an independent inquiry commission headed by the chief justice of Pakistan to probe the facts about the Panama leaks.

“This is an opportunity for Pakistani nation to eradicate corruption. We will pursue this goal till the very end.”

Khan announced he might convene an All Parties Conference (APC) on Panama leaks after party’s Foundation Day on April 24. He said the party would establish a committee to monitor progress on the proposed inquiry commission till April 24. “In case of no progress on the same, the committee would chalk out a plan to march towards Raiwind.” He urged the overseas Pakistanis to hire a forensic audit firm on behalf of their country to investigate the ‘ill-gotten’ money of the Sharif family.

The PTI chairman downplayed rift among the senior leaders in the run-up to the intra-party elections. “Groupings are normal within a party. Look at Bernie Sanders and Hillary. Both are Democratic (presidential) candidates, but right now they are fighting with each other,” he argued.

Sources told Daily Times that the internal strife surfaced soon after the announcement of intra-party elections. The PTI’s Punjabi leadership was divided into two groups and tried to wash their dirty linen in the public. They made personal attacks and accused each other of hijacking the party.

A group consisting of Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Shafqat Mahmood upped the ante by making public statement against the rival group consisting of Jehangir Khan Tareen, Aleem Khan and Chaudhry Sarwar.