KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has asked the party cadres protesting against the PTI’s city leadership for less than impressive showing in the recent local government elections to wait for a few months for intra-party elections, in which they could democratically elect whosoever as their leader.

Mr Khan on Saturday had to address the workers gathered outside the party’s city headquarters, Insaf House, to pacify those who angrily said the party in Karachi was getting reduced to a social media group and that ‘nepotism’ had prevailed in issuing party tickets in the LG elections.

The workers asked Mr Khan to replace the existing leadership of the province and the city and announce intra-party elections as soon as possible.

Mr Khan said such protests would not force him to decide what the protesters wanted, adding that intra-party elections would be held in a few months. “Your captain decides according to merit. Those who worked against the party in the local government elections would be expelled from the PTI.”

He said he would not remove Ali Zaidi, PTI’s city president, on the whims of a few individuals.

As he spoke he heard an angry voice: “Expel Ali Zaidi!” Mr Khan quickly replied: “Ali Zaidi will not go, you may go.”

He said the protest, however, showed that PTI was a democratic party.

He asked the party’s city leaders to learn from the mistakes in the LG elections and build it stronger in future.

He said PTI would soon launch its membership campaign followed by intra-party elections.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2015