ISLAMABAD: Days after his election as chairman of the PTI in ECP-mandated intra-party elections, Gohar Ali Khan on Wednesday made appointments on key positions of the party, ignoring some key recent appointees.

Former senior vice president Sher Afzal Khan Marwat, a member of the PTI’s legal team, and party’s north Punjab president Seemabia Tahir were among those who failed to get any positions in the Gohar-led party.

Mr Marwat represented former PTI chief Imran Khan in the Toshakhana trial. He became close to the ex-premier when he launched a tirade against judge Humayun Dilawar during the proceedings of the trial and was subsequently added to the PTI core committee.

According to notifications issued by the PTI chairman, Shah Mehmood Qureshi has been appointed vice chairman and Chaudhry Parvez Elahi central president of the party, with immediate effect.

Firdous Shamim Naqvi, Senator Saifullah Abro, Qasim Khan Suri and Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani have been appointed central vice presidents of the PTI.

A PTI leader said that after the appointment of new chairman, the former body stood dissolved automatically.

“As per the party’s new act, Punjab will now be considered one province, so Yasmin Rashid has been appointed PTI’s Punjab president and there are no slots for north, central and south of the province. However, we hope that some more notifications will be issued soon in which Mr Marwat and other party leaders will get some important positions,” he said.

Meanwhile, PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub lashed out at the caretaker government for jacking up power tariff by Rs3.08 per unit, terming the increase an “inflationary bomb”.

“Electricity price is now effectively approximately Rs85 per unit. These are the landmines put in place by PML-N, PPP, MQM, JUI-F and others PDM parties,” he added.

“I had been predicting this since last year. The people of Pakistan should reject these parties who have decimated the economy, brought back-breaking inflation and increased electricity and gas prices to unprecedented levels,” Mr Omar said.

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2023