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Imran Khan loyalist Gohar Ali Khan replaces jailed ex-Pak prime minister as PTI chief

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Gohar Ali Khan, a soft-spoken lawyer who has represented Imran Khan in several cases, was elected unopposed as PTI chairman as no one had filed a nomination against him.

Lawyer Gohar Ali Khan has been handpicked by Imran Khan. (File photo)

Pakistani news: Lawyer Gohar Ali Khan – a staunch supporter and lawyer of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan – was on Saturday elected as the new chairman of the cricket legend’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), days before the expiry of a deadline set was set to be the party that has been ordered by the country’s highest opinion body to conduct organizational polls to retain ‘bat’ as an election symbol.

This is the first time since the PTI – founded in 1996 by Imran Khan during his early foray into politics – has elected someone other than the cricketer-turned-politician as its chairman.

Gohar, a soft-spoken lawyer who has represented Imran Khan in several cases, was elected unopposed as PTI chairman as no one filed a nomination against him in the intra-party elections held in the northwestern city of Peshawar, which is considered a stronghold of the PTI. the party.

Gohar, 45, was hand-picked by detainee Imran Khan after consultation with his loyalist lawyers, who meet him regularly at the prison, where he has been held since he was arrested on August 5 following a conviction in the Toshakhana case. Khan himself avoided filing the nomination due to conviction and disqualification.

The organizational elections were necessitated by the guidelines of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which had given the PTI a 20-day window on November 23 to retain the bat as an electoral symbol ahead of the scheduled general elections. on February 8.

Political observers viewed the move to launch Gohar, a relatively unknown face in the political arena, as very surprising, especially as the party needed a strong, experienced hand to guide it safely through the rough waters in Khan’s absence.

However, the fact that he is only a stopgap and has been appointed as chairman to avoid legal complications would remain his greatest vulnerability. It means he looks up to Khan for approval for every major decision.

Who is Gohar Ali Khan?

According to his website, Gohar Khan is a Supreme Court advocate and appears in all high courts. He holds a law degree from Wolverhampton University, UK with an LL.M from Washington School of Law, USA.

Gohar had once followed the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and contested elections from its platform in 2008, which he lost. After the setback, he left politics and concentrated on his practice as a lawyer. He was associated with the chamber of Aitizaz Ahsan, a prominent lawyer and leader of the PPP.

The new PTI chief, an ethnic Pashtun, is from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and his appointment is seen as an attempt to keep the party’s Pashtun support base intact. One reason why the intra-party elections were held in Peshawar instead of the usual Lahore or Islamabad as chosen locations for such activities.

‘Imran Khan has been elected’

Speaking to journalists in Peshawar after his election, Gohar said he would try to fulfill his responsibility as Khan’s representative. “If elections happen, we will beat everyone,” Gohar said.

He also criticized the ECP, saying that at least 175 political parties operating in the country have provided details of their internal party polls since 1960. “However, none of these polls have been as scrutinized as the PTI polls.”

Omar Ayub Khan was elected General Secretary of the PTI

Meanwhile, PTI also elected Omer Ayub Khan as Secretary General without opposition. Munir Ahmed Baloch was also elected party chairman of Balochistan; Haleem Adil Sheikh of Sindh; Ali Amin Gandapur of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Dr Yasmin Rashid as the party’s Punjab president.

Gohar’s election, even in the absence of opposition, was not without friction and indicated that he would have to deal with old party leaders who were overlooked for the key post.

Akbar S. Babar, one of the founders of PTI, had rejected his candidature calling it “selection instead of election”. He said Gohar’s appointment had raised serious questions over the transparency and credibility of the entire PTI intra-party elections.

Similarly, Gohar would face tough political opponents, especially the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), whose spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb, commenting on his election, said it was a selection, not an election. “Once again the PTI has been involved in a selection in 15 minutes,” she said.

Soon after, PTI’s official

“History bears witness that PML-N, the pioneer of hereditary politics, never allowed the Sharif family to move from the central positions of the party to the ministries,” it added.

With the general election just over two months away, Pakistan’s political parties have stepped up their game with campaigns across the country. Imran Khan and his party have maintained that the ECP’s move was an attempt to keep them away from the polls and yet another example of failure to provide a level playing field.

(With PTI inputs)



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