PESHAWAR, Oct 20: The Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf has stopped its membership drive for the time being and decided to hold intra-party elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the month of November this year.

The party has directed its leaders in different districts to avoid posing as candidates for the next general elections.

The party had so far not allotted tickets to anyone and those calling themselves candidates might face disciplinary action, Qazi Anwar, known lawyer and provincial election commissioner of PTI, told a press conference her on Saturday.

He said that various organisations and units of PTI in the province had been dissolved and necessary arrangements for party elections were almost finalised. The process of intra-party elections would be completed next moth, he added.

Mr Anwar said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been divided into four zones -- Malakand, South, Hazara and Central (Peshawar).

The election process in Malakanad, Hazara and Peshawar would be completed in the last phases, he added.

The process of intra-party elections, he said, would be initiated from Dera Ismail Khan and Bannu.

Flanked by members of lawyer wing of the party, Mr Anwar claimed that PTI had half million registered members in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He added that party elections would be conducted under the supervision of lawyer wing to ensure free, fair and transparent polls.

The PTI leader said that it was a democratic process and there was no grouping in the party. He said that PTI chief Imran Khan wanted election process completed at the earliest so that preparations for the next general elections could be made.

During the membership drive, he said, millions of people got themselves registered as members of PTI. The voter list would be displayed on the party’s website so that all the people could easily check their names, he added.

To a query about criticism on different state institutions, Mr Anwar said that constructive criticism on the institutions even apex judiciary through media could made as “all institutions are equal before the rule of law.”

The PTI leader condemned attack on Malala Yousufzai and urged the rulers to raise voice for the victims of drone attacks as they were also citizens of the country and had the same rights.