ISLAMABAD - It seems Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan has deliberately blocked the way of veteran leaders of PTI, who are already perturbed over inclusion of establishment backed opportunist politicians, in decision making over the issue of new entrants to party.
On Monday, the issuance of a notification from party's Central Secretariat to PTI leaders informing them the decision of appointment of a newcomer to party, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, as Chairman of a Scrutiny Committee mandated to evaluate properly the integrity and history of the new entrants to party has raised many eyebrows.
The 10-member Scrutiny Committee with PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi as its Chairman is mandated a task to ensure stoppage of influx of controversial and corrupt politicians to PTI.
The scrutiny committee was formed on Monday.
The decision of formation of this Scrutiny Committee to check new entrants was taken during the Central Executive Committee of the party.
However, during the course of meeting Imran Khan had assured the members of CEC that some time tested and senior party leader with high integrity would be appointed as its Chairman.
Earlier, during the CEC meeting the name of senior PTI leader Hamid Khan was finalised as Chairman of the Scrutiny Committee. But he was made not even member of the committee.
The members of the Scrutiny Committee included PTI Secretary General Dr Arif Alvi, Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Shahid Zulfiqar, Pervaiz Khattak, Nazar Baloch, Zohair Asheer, Iftikhar Soomro, Malik Sohail, Mian Sajid and Shah Farman.
A senior PTI leader wishing not to be named informed that senior party leaders have shown reservations over the issue who had joined the party over its manifesto and ideology years ago.
He said there was a strong feeling among those ideological leaders that new entrants had completely hijacked the party and following their suggestions Imran Khan was making decisions without caring for the consequences.
He said senior leaders were already disturbed over appointing Shah Mehmood to the post of Vice Chairman of the party and this decision had further added fuel to the fire.
However, he stated that issue would be taken up in the upcoming CEC meeting of the party.
As per working procedures of the committee, from now onwards all proposals regarding joining of individuals coming directly to the Chairman PTI would go to the scrutiny committee.
Also the proposals which the provincial Presidents, regional organisers would approve for joining in the presence of the Chairman should also be approved by the Scrutiny Committee.
The committee has also been asked to particularly weigh proposals where former Senators or Parliamentarians or prominent members of other parties wish to join.
The Scrutiny Committee has also been asked to get all the available information of the ‘would be entrants’ and make a decision in this regard within a maximum of two days from the date of submission.
In case of a positive nod from the Scrutiny Committee, the matter would be referred to regional organisers who would further scrutinise the hopefuls.
In case of emergence of any difference of opinion between CEC and regional organisers, the issue would be sent to PTI Chairman for final decision on the issue.
