The general elections are quickly approaching, and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is scheduled to launch its campaign on Saturday, January 20, according to senior party leader Barrister Gohar Ali Khan.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the struggling PTI’s main adversaries, have already started their national campaigns and sent out ballots for both national and local seats.
Established by Imran Khan, the party gained prominence in the center in 2018 but was overthrown by a motion of no confidence in April 2022. Since then, it has been in shock due to the consecutive losses.
The party’s founder was imprisoned in May of last year, its electoral symbol—a significant motivator for voters—was removed this month, and the PTI-Nazriati party, with which it had been pursuing an alliance, also retreated.
The party has promised not to forgo its recognizable election symbol and boycott the polls, nevertheless. With the removal of the ‘bat’ insignia, each of its candidates will be running under a distinct sign.
“On Saturday, the PTI will launch its official election campaign. Until then, workers should endure hardships and look forward to winning on February 8.” Gohar told reporters in Rawalpindi on Thursday, “You should concentrate on the election campaign.”
Gohar stated that tickets would be finalized tonight and a comprehensive list of all party candidates would be released tomorrow. This is in reference to the allocation of tickets, because the party has not yet announced candidates for every National Assembly seat.
Intense infighting was evident as vice president Sher Afzal Marwat and central spokesperson Raoof Hasan made accusations against one another in recent days, with the party already encountering multiple obstacles before the poll.
Marwat, who was conducting a campaign in Karachi, received a message from the party asking him to return, citing instructions from its jailed founder Khan. But it appears that the party has found a solution.
“From now on, alerts won’t be necessary. We are in constant communication with him [Marwat]. He visited Karachi; he is going to visit Sindh, Punjab, and KP once more,” Gohar declared, pledging that the leader would spearhead an extensive electoral campaign.
