After suffering a major blow to its 2024 election prospects, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) remains committed to finding a way to the parliament and has revealed its “Plan C” for ensuring its representation in the legislature following the polls.
Founder by cricketer-turned-politician, Imran Khan, the party lost its iconic “bat” symbol after the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) accepted the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) appeal against the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) verdict that had annulled the electoral body’s ruling on the “unlawful” intra-party polls.
The setback was compounded after the PTI’s efforts to secure an alliance with Tehreek-e-Insaf Nazriati — a splinter group of the party — also suffered a blow after the latter left the former ruling party “high and dry” by rescinding the agreement to share its symbol.
Although all PTI candidates will be contesting independently in the February 8 elections with various symbols — kettle, brinjal, tongs, etc — their leadership had voiced concerns that they would not be getting reserved seats as they are allocated for political parties.
This would be a major setback for any party that wishes to come into power in the National Assembly, which has 336 total seats 70 have been reserved for women and non-Muslims.
In the Balochistan provincial legislature, out of 65, 14 are reserved seats; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has 30 reserved in the house of 145; Sindh has 38 reserved seats, while the total number is 168; Punjab has 371 seats out of which 74 are reserved.
PTI’s senior leader Barrister Gohar Ali Khan also told journalists in Islamabad that he feared there would be “horse-trading” as when his party’s candidates won, other political parties would poach them to strengthen their position.
This would be, as per some legal experts, legal as they will not be bound by party policy since they will be elected as independent candidates and cannot be disqualified under Article 63-A (which deals with a party member’s defection).
In conversation with Geo News’ Hamid Mir, PTI leader Gohar said when the February 8 elections are done, “we will not get reserved seats”.
“However, there is something: Once our candidates are elected, they can join us and we can reform our party.”
“So we will have three days after the elections. When they join us and tell [relevant authorities] that they have joined this party, we can get the reserved seats.”
When the anchorperson said this was a strategy that he shouldn’t have revealed on live television, he said: “This is our Plan C — to bring back the people [under one umbrella].”
Barrister Muhammad Ahmed Pansota told Geo.tv that the political party is still intact, it is its symbol that has been taken away for the upcoming elections.
“So once the general as well as the intra-party elections take place, the party can always apply on the basis of their symbol for the reserved seats. Also, if they join a political party, they can also get the reserved seats; it will be an interesting situation.”
