LAHORE, March 5: The Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf’s Ideology Group and Tsunami Change Movement have joined hands and challenged intra-party election in Lahore district particularly the election on general secretary seat. They have also evolved a joint strategy to contest March 7 elections.

Barrister Hammad Azhar, who had parted ways with Unity Group led by Abdul Aleem Khan only a couple of days before the district and towns polls, has now joined anti-Aleem Khan and Abdur Rasheed Bhatti group. Barrister Azhar had contested election against Unity Group’s Abdur Rasheed Bhatti and lost.

Sources in the party told Dawn that Tsunami Change Movement’s leader Waleed Iqbal challenged the entire intra-party election process in Lahore district and towns and urged the PTI Election Tribunal to annul the Feb 26 elections.

PTI Lahore District president-elect Abdul Aleem Khan said the losers were currently in a state of shock and denial about election results. He said the Unity Group would defeat both groups in the March 7 party elections. He said everybody was looking for a true democracy that could come through elections. “Instead of making complaints and sabotaging PTI’s election process, the two groups should contest elections being held under the supervision of Election Commission as well as vibrant media,” he asserted.

Meanwhile, Ideology Group’s candidate for PTI Lahore District general secretary Hafiz Farhat Abbas has challenged election results for his seat. It is learnt that Waleed Iqbal on Tuesday argued Hafiz Farhat’s application for re-polling before one-member PTI Election Tribunal Justice (retired) Mujahid A Bashir.

Mr Iqbal argued that some 111 votes were cancelled for president seat, while for secretary’s slot some 225 votes were cancelled, which smelled foul. Hafiz Farhat had lost the election with some 50 votes margin. It is learnt that the petitioners also presented some video clips showing polling of bogus votes.

Similar cases were also brought into the notice of the Election Tribunal from different Lahore towns. A town’s general secretary argued that he was declared defeated with a margin of six votes but the 18 votes cancelled for his seat were not shown.

Both Ideology Group and Tsunami Change Movement demanded that the Election Tribunal should postpone the intra-party election re-polling on March 7. The tribunal, it is learnt, did not agree on postponing March 7 elections and hinted at a decision in this regard on Wednesday (today).

It is reliably learnt that the tribunal has called Unity Group’s secretary-elect Abdur Rasheed Bhatti, party’s Election Commission staff and a couple of other candidates, who have challenged Lahore district results, on Wednesday (today) to decide the fate of elections for Lahore district and towns’ seats in general and general-secretary seat in particular.

It may be mentioned that owing to clashes within the three groups during counting of votes as well as destroying of ballot papers for all seats except Lahore district president and general secretary, the results of all other seats at district and towns levels were stopped.

Meanwhile, Ideology Group and Tsunami Change Movement leaders including Lahore district president candidates Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed and Farooq Amjad Mir as well as Waleed Iqbal, Hammad Azhar and Hafiz Farhat Abbas on Tuesday held a consultative meeting at party’s Jail Road office and demanded that PTI Election Commission should take strict measures to ensure holding of party elections in a transparent manner.

Both groups’ leaders have alleged that a number of irregularities have been committed in the party elections on Feb 26 including violation of code of conduct and rules and regulations. They demanded that the Election Commission should do away with candidates’ apprehensions and ensure fair and transparent party elections on March 7 (Thursday).

Sources told Dawn some PTI workers and leaders also came up with an option of boycotting the party elections but were overruled by the two groups’ leaders.

Both the groups constituted consensus committees to visit towns and union councils to meet voters and seek their support. The leaders said that they were fighting for the rights of party workers and would go to any extent.