Imran Khan officially named as PTI nominee for PM amid consensus and applause
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's parliamentary committee on Monday officially named party chairman Imran Khan as their parliamentary leader and nominee for the next prime minister of Pakistan, DawnNewsTV reported.
"The nomination of Imran Khan will be mere formality," senior party leader Dr Arif Alvi said before the meeting took place. "All 120 parliamentary committee members are in consensus over this."
"The final decision on cabinet members will be taken by Imran Khan himself," he added.
When the caucus began, Qureshi presented a resolution in favour of Khan's nomination to become the party's parliamentary leader. The resolution was accepted unanimously.
Once Khan's nomination for the PM's role was official, all the parliamentary committee members congratulated the party chief.
Culmination of 22-year-long struggle: Khan
Following the formal confirmation of his nomination, Khan addressed the assortment of PTI leaders.
"Today, I have been given the biggest of responsibilities," the premier-in-waiting said. "Today, the first phase of a 22-year-long struggle is complete. Today, God has given you a moral victory.
"After 1970, this is the first time that the masses have defeated the political elite. This happens very rarely that in a two-party system a third one gets a chance."
Khan warned his fellow party leaders that they must not govern the traditional way. "There are challenges aplenty for the PTI government," he said. "The people do not expect us to govern the traditional way; we are viewed as different. If we do traditional politics then we would also fall prey to the public wrath."
Khan vowed to "lead by example", saying: "I will make decision on merit and in the national interest, and will never ask you to do something that I wouldn't myself.
"One hour every week I will give answers to the public — like it happens in England. We will also make the ministers answerable to the public in the truest sense."
We now have the numbers to form our govt: Qureshi
At the conclusion of the committee, PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi delivered a media talk.
"The party at whom people used to laugh has today become the largest parliamentary party," Qureshi said."We now have the required majority to form our government in the Centre."
Qureshi's views were echoed by party spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry, who claimed that the PTI now has "the backing of 174 candidates in NA".
Speculation rife on candidates for NA speaker
Meanwhile, according to DawnNewsTV sources, Alvi is the leading candidate to become the next speaker of the National Assembly, while Qureshi is reportedly also in the running.
However, Qureshi has quashed those reports, saying: "There haven't been any discussions on the speaker's candidates."
DawnNewsTV sources have also put Imran Ismail as a candidate to become the new Governor Sindh.
Khan receives extended security protocol
The meeting of PTI's parliamentary committee took place at a hotel in Islamabad today. The PTI chief left his Banigala residence for the first time since his party's victory in last week's general election.
Despite Khan's explicit instructions and refusal to travel with an extended protocol, a number of cars and heavy security tagged along with him.
"Imran Khan has always been against security protocols and VIP culture," Khan's spokesperson Naeemul Haq said."But it's the government that gave him the PM's protocol. We had asked for just four vehicles."