Wednesday, April 18, 2012

IMRAN KHAN : Newcomers on top slots create fissures in PTI




Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is facing imminent threat of new divisions, as the newcomers (traditional political lot) get 90 percent share in the regional steering committees of Punjab, leaving the old and founding cadre of the party with the only option of to launch a new platform, TheNation has learnt.
Sources in the PTI privy to the discussions in the angry old guard party cadre against the major share to the newcomers in regional steering committees of Punjab told this scribe on Tuesday that party chief Imran Khan

in the circle of his ‘chosen few’ putting in the frontline those practicing politicians who have only joined the party sometime back after the successful October 30 moot, while the role of party’s founding cadre was being marginalised and the newcomers have taken the front seat without any sacrifice.


They quote some of the PTI’s old guard as saying that they would launch a ‘new platform’ if Imran Khan continued the practice of sidelining the old members and putting the traditional political lot in the front row who were known for changing political loyalties according to their convenience.
Close aides of PTI chief meanwhile informed this scribe that party’s top brass held at least four meetings in the last two days to sort out the matter and hoped that the issue would be resolved soon with the inclusion of more members in the regional steering committees of Punjab from party’s old guard.
However, some disgruntled members of PTI founding cadre were of the view that it seems Imran Khan is losing grip over the party and the newcomers (traditional political lot) were steering the party who wanted to plant their ‘yes men’ at all levels in the party in a bid to steal the intra-party poll expected to held in June after the completion of membership drive.
They added that regional steering committees were formed to give equal share and opportunities to the new and old in the membership drive keeping in view the upcoming intra-party polls and to make this plan successful, Punjab has been divided into four zones of Central Punjab, West Punjab, North Punjab and South Punjab comprising 18, 17, 13 and 19 members respectively.
The Central Punjab regional steering committee out of its total 18 members, has 15 members from the newcomers (traditional political lot), which include Mian Naeem Javed, Hammad Azhar, Kamil Omer, Zaheer Abbas Khokhar, Omer Dar, Hamid Miraj, Shoib Siddiqui, SA Hameed, Mansoor Sarwar Khan, Mian Afzal Hayat, Ejaz Sehole, Chaudhry Yaqoob, Akhtar Husain Bhatti, Shaukat Ranjha and Aleem Khan, while only three members of the old guard including Umer Sarfaraz Cheema, Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed and Bukhtiyar Kasuri get place in the committee.
The West Punjab regional steering committee out of its total 17 members, has taken onboard 14 members from the new entrants, which include Rai Aziz Ullah, Ali Hasnain Naqvi, Faiz Ullah Kmoka, Zulfikar Shah, Prof Rouf Doula, Chaudhry Ashfaq, Dr Asad Muazzam, Dr Abdul Hanan, Haider Bari, Shahbaz Kasana, Mian Ashfaq, Nauraiz Shakoor, Amjad Joyia, and Rao Qaiser Ali Khan, while three members including Tariq Chaudhry, Janbaz Sahib and Atta Ullah Niazi were taken from the old leaders.
The North Punjab Steering Committee out of its total 13 members, has 12 members of the newcomer group, which include Malik Sohail Khan, Mohammad Sadiq Khan, Inam Ullah Niazi, Sardar Ghulam Abbas, Col (r) Mohammad Taj, Ejaz Minhas, Haroon Piracha, Hina Manzoor, Sadia Abbasi, Ehsan Tiwana, Asghar Kalyar and Chaudhary Asghar, while only one member, Sadaqat Abbasi belongs to party’s old guard.
The South Punjab Steering Committee out of its total 19 members, has taken onboard 15 members of the new entrants, which include Sikander Bosan, Jamal Leghari, Rafeeq Haider Leghari, Khalid Khakwani, Husnain Jhanian Gardezi, Awais Gardezi, Noor Bhaba, Jehenzeb Khichi, Shaukat Dawood, Mureed Husnain Qureshi, Shaukat Lalika, Ibraheem Khan, Nawab Aman Ullah, Saeed Chaudhry and Mazhar Khan Lakhwera, while only four members taken from the old leaders including Ejaz Chaudhry, Mian Sajid Pervez, Shirin Mazari and Mujeeb Ahmed Khan.

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