LAHORE: Retired Justice Wajihuddin has again criticised the decisions of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman regarding intra-party polls, fearing they will generate another controversy similar to the one during the intra-party electoral exercise in 2013.

In a letter to the party high command, he objected to holding of polls only for the top slot at each level, retaining some office-bearers instead of introducing an interim set-up, excluding provincial election commissioners from the election commission overseeing the intra-party polls and giving insufficient time for new membership before the polls.

Justice Wajih, who had earned controversy through his decisions as election tribunal judge of the previous intra-party polls, criticised the chairman’s reported decision that elections should be held only for the top slot at union council, tehsil, district, region, province and central levels. That way only the top person would be able to nominate and appoint his own team/cabinet.

Referring to the composition of the PTI Election Commission, he questioned exclusion of the provincial election commissioner from central panel, warning of implications of the omission. He also objected to retaining the chairman, central finance secretary and information secretary, as in disregard for the tribunal’s decision no caretakers were appointed for the interim period.

Justice Wajih also noted that in total disregard for the election tribunal’s orders, existing membership of the party seemed to have been scrapped and party members, who had earlier registered their names in various membership drives, were required to register again as the party election commission wanted the data of members in a uniform pattern.

This kind of drive to be completed in six weeks, he said, provided for no “gestation” period for members to qualify as voters as the proposed reviewed version of the PTI constitution envisaged a minimum gestation period of 120 days prior to the announcement of party election.

“This is not all. The current exercise can also attract hundreds of thousands of devotees, labourers and tenants at the behest of their pirs, factory owners and landlords,” he added.

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2016