ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday has formally nominated party’s chief Imran Khan as their candidate for next Prime Minister of Pakistan.
A parliamentary meeting was held at a private hotel in Islamabad during which, Shah Mehmood Qureshi presented a resolution nominating Imran as their PM candidate after which, PTI chief was welcomed with a huge applause.
Addressing the participants, Imran Khan thanked the members for showing their trust in him. The change for which PTI has been struggling for 22 years will now going to be witnessed, he added.
Addressing a gathering of the party’s MNAs-elect shortly after being unanimously elected as its nominee for the coveted post of the prime minister of the country, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief and prime minister-in-waiting Imran Khan said he will take every decision on merit and in the best interest of the nation. Khan said he has been entrusted with the biggest responsibility.
He said the first phase of his 22-year long political struggle has been capped with a victory. “The people don’t expect us to run the country in a traditional way,” he said, explaining that the party is viewed differently.
Imran Khan said he will introduce “PM-Question Hour” in the parliament on the pattern of the United Kingdom, where he will answer to lawmakers’ questions every week. He said ministers will also be made answerable to the parliament in real sense.
The PTI Chief said he will not demand anything from his party members, which he himself cannot do. He urged the parliamentary party to adopt austerity measures to save nation’s wealth, which will be spent on people’s welfare.
Imran Khan said the people of Pakistan have rejected the two-party system this time again after 1970s. He said people have voted for change and they do not expect traditional politics from PTI. He said the nation will be watchful of your actions and respond accordingly. He said people will not spare us if we turn to traditional politics.
He urged the lawmakers to fulfill people’s expectations and Allah Almighty will give you honor and respect. He said people want parliament to make laws for them and we will have to fulfill this through unity, coordination, and teamwork. They expect from you to frame policies for them, he said.
Imran Khan said today PTI is facing a very weak opposition on moral grounds as their ranks and files pursue contrary ideologies.
A high-level huddle of the PTI parliamentary party was held at a local hotel in the federal capital.
Party vice-chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi presented a resolution with regard to the nomination of Mr. Khan as premier which was unanimously endorsed by all participants.
Afterwards, the MNAs-elect stood up and gave the party chief a round of applause on being elected unopposed as party nominee for the slot.
The newly-elected members of National Assembly were also taken into confidence while discussion over the names of speaker and deputy speaker was also carried out.
The meeting was attended by several politicians including Asad Umar, Pervez Khattak, Chaudhry Sarwar and Shafqat Mahmood.
PTI spokesman Fawad Chaudhry hoped that PTI will get support from Balochistan National Party (Mengal) and its total numbers in the National Assembly would reach one hundred seventy seven.
PTI leader Asad Umer has come forward as a strong candidate for Finance minister post while Shah Mehmood Qureshi is being considered for National Assembly speaker’s slot.
Shireen Mazari is also interested for the post however possibilities exist of her being made the Defence Minister.
Shafqat Mehmood is a contender for interior minister while the slot of speaker will be given to Sindh or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Dr Arif Alvi is a top choice for Speaker National Assembly while Malik Ameen Aslam will be the minister or advisor for environment.
Fawad Chaudhry will possibly become the Information Minister whereas the party is considering giving Ministry of Railways to Awami Muslim League Chairperson Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.
On July 25, millions of Pakistanis voted to elect a new government and prime minister in a peaceful elections held in free, fair and transparent manner.
Around 800,000 police and military forces were stationed at more than 85,000 polling stations across the country as the voting took place.
Pakistan is a country of approximately 207 million people, out of which the number of registered voters are about 106 million.
The voting for the Pakistan election, which took place between 8:00 am local time (8:30 am IST) and 6:00 pm (6:30 pm IST), saw more than 3,000 candidates contesting for 272 general seats of the National Assembly, while some 8,000 candidates ran for 577 general seats of the four provincial assemblies – Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan.
The PTI had taken the decisive lead by winning 116 seats against former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and former President Asif Zardari s Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) which won 64 and 43 seats, respectively.
Besides these three major parties, Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal Pakistan won 13 seats, Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan six seats, Pakistan Muslim League and Balochistan Awami Party four seats each, Balochistan National Party and Grand Democratic Alliance two seats each, Awami Muslim League Pakistan, Awami National Party, Jamhoori Wattan Party and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaniat one seat each.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday said that there was no compatibility in ideology and thinking of the opposition.
Talking to media in Islamabad on Monday, he said that party chairman Imran Khan took the party members in confidence in today’s meeting.
Qureshi said that the PTI chairman and his team was completely aware of challenges being faced by the country, adding that at the moment our priority is to save the money of nation and spend it on them.
The PTI leader said that the party leaders have expressed their confidence on the leadership of Imran Khan. “The meeting also decided to put the wishes of masses on priority and work according to their wishes,” he said.
“We are bound to comply with the orders of party leadership and will abide by the orders of the party leadership,” Qureshi added.
Earlier, the PTI had formally nominated party’s supremo Imran Khan as their candidate for next Prime Minister of Pakistan. – NNI