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The seats had fallen vacant last month after several PTI leaders were convicted for their alleged involvement in the May 9, 2023, riots
Pakistan’s former PM Imran Khan was arrested on August 5, 2023, from his residence in Lahore after being convicted by a court in a corruption case. (Image: PTI/File)
Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has announced it will boycott the upcoming by-elections for both national and provincial assemblies, following the guidance of its jailed founder.
The seats had fallen vacant last month after several PTI leaders were convicted for their alleged involvement in the May 9, 2023, riots.
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According to Dawn, the decision came after PTI’s political committee met on Tuesday to deliberate on Khan’s advice, conveyed to them after his consultation with his legal team at Adiala Jail.
Earlier in the day, Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, shared his message with the media after visiting him in prison. She was accompanied by PTI secretary general Salman Akram Raja, who, she clarified, had not resigned despite earlier reports.
Dismissing speculation of a rift, she said Raja was “like family” to them.
Aleema said her brother had asked the party’s political committee to reconvene and reconsider its earlier stance on participating in the polls.
Later that night, PTI lawmaker Amir Dogar confirmed that the committee had endorsed Khan’s position of not contesting, adding that PTI legislators would soon begin resigning from parliamentary bodies as well.
The reversal marked a significant shift. Just a day earlier, the political committee had voted 12-9 in favour of contesting, with PTI information secretary Sheikh Waqqas Akram even announcing that candidates would be fielded on Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) tickets to avoid being listed as independents.
Former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser told Dawn that Khan believed PTI should stay away from by-polls and also direct its lawmakers to withdraw from parliamentary standing committees, including the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
“Parliament has already been made a rubber stamp, as the voice of the opposition members has been suppressed by not telecasting their remarks on the floor of the house,” he said.
“Khan was of the view that the government will not let the PTI candidate win by-elections… if we take part in the elections, it will legitimise the government’s illegal action of de-seating PTI legislators,” Qaiser added.
Political analyst Ahmed Bilal Mehboob called the development “unfortunate,” noting that a democratic decision of the committee had been overturned by Khan.
He argued that PTI has become “more of a one-man show” than any other political party in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s two ruling coalition parties — the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) — have announced they will contest the by-elections jointly.
According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), polls will take place on September 18.
- Location :
Islamabad, Pakistan
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