ISLAMABAD: The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has made the first amendment to the party’s constitution overhauled in May this year, dissolving all its provincial chapters to replace them with regional bodies.

“With approval of the core committee and Imran Khan, the chairman of PTI, it is hereby notified that all existing provincial organisations, including ICT stand dissolved with immediate effect….,” a notification issued on Saturday reads.

A separate notification was also issued containing details of the administrative decision for effective and practical composition of countrywide and international chapters of PTI, in pursuance of a decision taken by the core committee under the chairmanship of Mr Khan.

According to the party, Punjab will be split in four regions. North Punjab region shall comprise the administrative divisions of Rawalpindi and Sargodha while central Punjab region will include administrative divisions of Lahore and Gujranwala. The West Punjab region will comprise Faisalabad and Sahiwal divisions and South Punjab region will have Multan, Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan divisions.

Likewise, Sindh has been divided into three regions. The Sukkur region will comprise the administrative divisions of Sukkur and Larkana while Hyderabad region will include Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas divisions. The Karachi region will comprise the administrative divisions of Karachi and Banbhore (Thatta).

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will have four regions. The Malakand and Hazara regions will comprise administrative divisions of Malakand and Hazara respectively while Peshawar region will comprise divisions of Peshawar and Mardan. South KP region will comprise the divisions of Kohat, Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan.

Balochistan will also have four regions. The North Balochistan region will include Zhob and Sibbi divisions. The Central Balochistan region will comprise the administrative division of Quetta. The West Balochistan region will comprise the administrative divisions of Nasirabad, Kalat and Lasbela. South Balochistan region will comprise Rakhshan and Makran divisions. The Islamabad Capital Territory will comprise of three organisational units.

The party’s organisation of international chapters (OIC) has also been divided in five regions, including American, European, Asian, Australian and African regions.

In June this year, the party had dissolved all its organisations, structures, wings and sub-organisations to pave the way for formation of new bodies in line with the constitution approved in May.

All officer-bearers of the party, except chairman Imran Khan, vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi and five others, ceased to hold office.

“All the existing organisations, structures, wings and sub-organisations of the party at all levels in the provinces of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Balochistan and in the areas of Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Islamabad Capital Territory stand dissolved in consultation with the chief organiser with immediate effect,” the notification dated June 2 had said.

It added that all the party office-bearers shall cease to hold office, except Mr Khan, Mr Qureshi, Chief Organiser Saifullah Khan Niazi, Secretary General Arshad Dad, Finance Secretary Sardar Azhar Tariq Khan, Information Secretary Omar Sarfaraz Cheema and OIC Secretary Dr Abdullah Riar.

A spokesman for the party when contacted told Dawn that prior to the last general elections, the PTI had provincial organisations in Sindh and Balochistan while Punjab and KP had regional structures.

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2019