Niazullah Niazi appointed new chief election commissioner of PTI

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has appointed senior lawyer Niazullah Niazi as the new chief election commissioner, ARY News reported on Thursday.

Barrister Gohar Khan stepped down from PTI’s chief election commissioner’s slot after he was nominated as the party’s chairman by Imran Khan.

After Khan’s resignation, the political party notified the appointment of Niazullah Niazi to the post.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has planned to hold intra-party elections this week following the orders of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Sources said that the PTI core committee has decided to hold intra-party elections after consultation with the incarcerated party chairman Imran Khan.

Yesterday, PTI’s Barrister Ali Zafar announced that party Chairman Imran Khan would not be contesting intra-party polls and Barrister Gohar Khan had been nominated for the slot of party chief.

The PTI is slated to conduct its intra-party elections on Saturday.

PTI Senator Ali Zafar announced the development while addressing a presser along with Raoof Hasan and Barrister Gohar in Islamabad.

Speaking to the media outside the Election Commission of Pakistan in Islamabad, Zafar said the party chairmanship is temporary, as Khan would return as chairman of the party once his disqualification in the wake of the Toshakhana case is overturned.

He further said that the ex-premier had directed the party to hold intra-party polls. “PTI is Imran Khan and Imran Khan is PTI.”

Earlier, Imran Khan’s lawyer Sher Afzal Marwat – while talking to journalists – also claimed that the ousted prime minister would not contest the intra-party elections due to his conviction in Toshakhana case.

However, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf rejected Advocate Sher Afzal Marwat’s claim.