ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf’s (PTI) inner-party squabbles are refusing to die down. On Thursday, Chairman Imran Khan had to yet again ask a senior member and the head of the party’s election tribunal to follow his directions.

Addressing retired Justice Wajihuddin Ahmad by name, the PTI chief reminded him of the April 24 notification, in which he had formally dissolved the election tribunal in his capacity as party head.

“I have been informed that you convened the meeting of the erstwhile tribunal on April 27 and continued with the proceedings. This, you would appreciate, is against the party discipline and shows the party in a bad light as is apparent from various adverse comments in the national press.”

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He further asked Justice Wajih, “If you had any reservations with regard to the notification you could have sent your representation to me rather than act in a manner prejudicial to the interests of the party.”

In the short letter released by the PTI media wing, Mr Khan has repeatedly reminded Justice Wajih of his position as party chairman, whose directions stand supreme in the party’s affairs. “Please be advised that any proceedings conducted by you after dissolution cannot and will not be recognised as valid.”

Without naming anyone, the PTI chief unequivocally conveyed his displeasure to Justice Wajih over meeting certain individuals who were no longer with the party. “I am also very surprised that in spite of my earlier intimation to you about certain renegade individuals with dubious backgrounds, you have chosen to invite them to your proceedings.”

In the letter, PTI chairman also referred to party MNA and core committee member, Shafqat Mehmood, who in his personal capacity, had raised questions about the legitimacy of the tribunal headed by Justice Wajih on legal grounds.

“Shafqat Mehmood, a senior member of the core committee, wrote to you raising questions about the authority and validity of the tribunal and its decisions which you chose to ignore and failed to share with the other recipients of your normal communications.”

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“I would, therefore, call upon you to stand down and not conduct meetings of the erstwhile tribunal forthwith,” the PTI chairman concluded in his letter. Mr Shafqat has argued that in the case of the PTI election tribunal, the party core committee had created a dispute resolution mechanism to adjudicate individual complaints of rigging in the intra-party election.

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2015

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