PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chitral workers and Insaf Students Federation office-bearers have resented the restoration of the previous organisations and demanded intra-party elections in the district.

They set the Feb 20 deadline for the leadership to meet their demand and threatened to form own group in PTI’s Chitral chapter against the policies of district president of the party Abdul Lateef.

ISF president Sardar Hakeem told a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club that majority of the workers were not happy with the restoration of the dissolved organisation as they wanted intra-party elections.

He said workers had developed serious differences with district president Abdul Lateef over his policies.

“We repeatedly tried to meet party chairman Imran Khan for a meeting over the party’s crisis in Chitral but he didn’t give us time not even during a visit to Chitral,” he said.

Threaten to form own group against district president

Accompanied by scores of party workers, Mr. Hakeem said the PTI had lost the last general elections in Chitral due to the local leadership’s poor performance but top leaders didn’t take notice of it.

He said workers had pinned high hopes in Fauzia Bibi after her election as MPA on a reserved seat but she turned out to be a letdown by siding with the district president against their desire.

Mr. Hakeem urged the party’s central leadership to resolve the issue until Feb 20 and warned workers could form a separate group in Chitral.

He criticised provincial ministers for not visiting the houses of the people killed by an avalanche of late.

Another PTI worker, Nazeer Ahmad, said the provincial government didn’t execute any development scheme in Chitral and therefore, the party would be in trouble in the next general elections.

“We appreciate legal reforms but people do not know the significance of reforms as they believe in tangible development, which is not visible anywhere in our district,” he said.

Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2017