LAHORE - The fate of PTI inquiry committee formed to probe party’s failure crushing defeat in recent local bodies polls in Punjab cantonments is unclear, as the said body is inactive and the party high command is keeping mum over the issue.
PTI chairman Imran Khan had appointed Chaudhary Muhammad Sarwar as the head of the stated committee and Rai Azizullah as its member. However, Chaudhary Sarwar had politely refused to accept the responsibility.
The inquiry committee had been directed to carry out a detailed investigation into the procedure followed for the award of party tickets in the local elections and their subsequent results.
The committee had been directed to inquire into the reasons for poor results in the key districts of Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Sargodha and Sialkot among others.
Sarwar in a chat with this correspondent on May 17 said, “I have declined to head the inquiry committee because I am new in the party and not familiar with ticket awarding system and other matters. It will be better that some old party leader would be given this task.”
Shabbir Sial, PTI senior leader and founding party member while sharing his views on the matter said, “It is highly unfortunate that the inquiry committee has not been made functional so far, as eliminating corruption from within and holding internal accountability is vital for strengthening the party. How could the PTI eradicate corruption from state institutions if it failed to clean its own ranks from the same?”
Sial who played a leading role during the lawyers’ campaign against General (r) Pervez Musharraf’s regime said, “PTI’s high command is not accessible to the leaders who talk about the internal accountability and saving the party from the practices of traditional political parties against which the masses had given us a mammoth welcome at Minar-i-Pakistan’s gardens.”
He remarked: “The leadership is not in any confrontation with new party leaders but I can tell you with certainty that we can win at least 10 seats from the two zones of Lahore Cantonment Boards if the party’s local leaders hadn’t campaigned against their own candidates.”
Some audio tapes appeared in some sections of the media revealed that a newcomer in PTI, Hafiz Farhat during a chat with his party men during Cantonment Board local elections campaign claimed that the then City chapter president, Aleem Khan had gone against some of the party candidates which led to the defeat of at least two party contenders in the said elections.
Ali Warraich, another PTI leader who was an important part of the Cantt polls, when contacted said, “There was a lot foul play on part of the local leadership of the party during the Cantonment Boards local polls, however I and my other colleagues who want punitive action against the local leaders involved in party’s defeat in the stated elections, waiting for the Cantonment Boards inquiry committee to becoming functional.
“However, we are in the dark and not clear about the fate an important committee formed to bring to justice the party leaders who in a bid to maintain their so-called grip on City chapter leadership brought a shameful defeat to the party.
“I along with my other party men have submitted our complaints with party’s Standing Committee for Accountability and Discipline (SCAD) concerning the matter in discussion but we haven’t heard anything so far.”
Rai Azizullah, member of the defunct committee, when reached said, “The inquiry committee has to be reconstituted, as I and Chaudhary Sarwar have been given new tasks by the top party leadership after the dissolution of party offices.”
When asked about the possible timeline of reconstitution of the inquiry committee, he said, “I have no idea when the committee would be formed.”