ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf notified on Saturday the dissolution of its intra-party election tribunal which had last week summoned PTI Chairman Imran Khan to appear before it.

The notification signed by the PTI chief on Friday says that the tribunal formed by the party in 2013 to investigate “irregularities” in the intra-party elections stands dissolved “with effect from March 22”.

Earlier, the party through a press release had announced the dissolution of the tribunal headed by retired Justice Wajeehuddin Ahmed, but it kept on functioning and issuing directives and recommendations. Yousuf Malik Gabol is a member of the tribunal.

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The tribunal had summoned Mr Khan to appear before it in Karachi on April 21 over non-compliance of its earlier orders.

Despite announcing that he would appear before the tribunal, Mr Khan did not do so and three days later he signed the dissolution notification.

The tribunal had passed an order on various petitions in October last year and again in March, terming the intra-party polls, which were completed in March 18, 2013, seriously flawed and had thus reduced terms of office of those elected from four years to two years.

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In its latest order of April 10, the tribunal expressed concern over the PTI chairman’s decision to allow former office-bearers, including Secretary General Jahangir Tareen, against whom there were complaints of irregularities, to work as caretakers till the fresh elections.

The tribunal had reportedly summoned Mr Khan after he made an attempt to meet Mr Wajeehuddin during his visit to Karachi earlier this month.

Sources in the party said that Mr Khan, along with a local PTI, had gone to the residence of Mr Wajeehuddin but the latter refused to see him. Later, the tribunal summoned Mr Khan to hear him on April 21.

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PTI’s Information Secretary Dr Shireen Mazari had said that the tribunal had already been dissolved, “but Khan Saheb decided on his own to appear before Justice Wajeehuddin to answer all queries because we are a democratic party and Khan Saheb believes in leading by example”.

“Once the decision was announced, the tribunal effectively ceased to exist and its members became functus officio with no further powers as the tribunal was constituted for a specific purpose,” says the notification issued on Saturday.

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“However, even after the tribunal had become defunct it kept on sending certain recommendations in terms that were imperative. Instead of ignoring these it was decided on 22.03.2015 to give effect to those that were compatible with interests of the party.”

The notification says: “Following the core committee meeting on 22.03.2015, I, as the chairman made a public statement that the tribunal stood dissolved. However, it appears that despite this statement the tribunal has continued to issue notices and pronounce orders. This is hampering work of the party in these critical times.”

“I, therefore, in exercise of my powers as the chairman of the party...formally notify that the election tribunal constituted on 12.03.2015 stands dissolved with effect from 22.03.2015. This is in confirmation of my earlier public statement.”

When contacted, Justice Wajeehuddin refused to comment on the matter, saying: “I am sorry, I cannot talk on judicial matters.”

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2015

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