ISLAMABAD - The controversy of the intra-party Election Tribunal (ET) of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has been resolved to some extent as the tribunal head Justice (retd) Wajihuddin through an order himself has suspended the tribunal.
However, a few lines of the ET order would be a cause of uneasiness in the ranks of PTI as it says that tribunal may re-emerge when deem fit, required or warranted because it has to be ensured that the Tribunal should remain a permanent institution with a constitutional mandate. The ET in its order has also disqualified all those party leaders to contest the next intra-party polls that have been recently inducted in 69-member Central Advisory Committee (CAC). The ET has pointed out irregularities in the last intra-party polls saying money was spent to get votes in certain party leaders.
The Election Tribunal of PTI remained in the headlines for the last some months because it continued giving controversial decisions and also suspended the basic party membership of the senior party leaders including Jehagir Khan Tarin and Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak despite an embargo on it from the party. Chairman Imran Khan more than once claimed that he had dissolved the ET as it had completed its job while the tribunal continued its work on the plea that the party chairman had no authority to dissolve it.
PTI sources insist that the decision from the ET has come as a result of other day’s meeting of Yousaf Gabool, a member of ET, and the members of PTI’s internal Standing Committee on Accountability and Discipline (SCAD) with Imran at his residence. The sources said that Khan had summoned Gabool and members of SCAD for personal hearing on July 11 and he has given them pardon. PTI’s SCAD has also been issuing controversial decisions that have been causing embarrassment for the party leadership. At last, the party decided to dissolve SCAD and ET had showed its annoyance over the dissolution of SCAD.
Wajihuddin in his order of July 13 had pointed out that compliance from the party on the findings of the tribunal was totally missing. “Reverting to the woes of implementation, while the Tribunal has recorded its findings on practically all relevant matters, executive compliance is totally missing. This cannot be allowed to go on,” the order says.
A two-member tribunal headed by Justice (retd) Wajihuddin in the order said that accordingly, they had decided that the Tribunal should assume ‘a state of suspended animation’. “It may, at discretion, re-emerge when deemed fit, required or warranted. One or both of the Tribunal members may re-emerge or, depending upon evolving circumstances, both the members may be totally different,” the tribunal in its order said adding all that has to be ensured is that the Tribunal remains a permanent institution with a constitutional mandate and that it is manned by persons of merit and high integrity.
“Meanwhile, the current members, as individuals, would continue to pursue the task of implementation at the political level, both inside and outside the party. In so doing, the available record, including Orders of the Tribunal so far passed, may also be invoked,” the ET order said and added that proceedings adjourned sine die.