Barrister Gohar has been elected unopposed chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). He was nominated by Imran Khan.

PTI has completed all arrangements for intra-party elections held today (Saturday) on the direction of the Election Commission of Pakistan.

The party kept the venue of its polling secret for hours. However, it was later revealed that the polling was to be held in Peshawar’s Ranogarhi where reportedly 500 electors participated in the election process.

SSP Operations visited Ranogarhi and the place of polling late at night. KP police provided security for the polling.

The results for the party chairman slot were announced at around 11:30am on Saturday.

Barrister Gohar nominated by chairman PTI Imran Khan was the only candidate running for the top position while Ali Amin Gandapur had submitted his nomination papers as a candidate for the presidential slot.

Aftre being declared the PTI chairman elected unopposed Gohar spoke to reporters.

He said he would hold the party chairman’s office as guardian until Imran Khan is released from prison. “It would be with me as an amanat until Imran Khan comes out.”

Gohar said Imran Khan was the real party chairman and would remain so all his life.

The new PTI chairman also said that PTI had been subjected to unprecedented scrutiny by the Election Commission of Pakistan compared to other political parties.

Gohar asked the chief justice of Pakistan, Justice Qazi Faez Isa, to provide justice to the PTI rather than returning his cars to the government. He was referring to CJP’s decision to return two of government-owned luxury vehicles that his predecessors had used.

Other candidates

Barrister Gohar said the party wanted all others candidates to return unopposed.

The party not provide any details about the candidates.

A spokesperson of PTI said that the nomination papers were received by the Returning Officer Sardar Masroof Khan at the central office of the party.

Senior Central Leader Ahmed Owais was the proposer in the nomination papers filed by Barrister Gohar while Central Information Secretary Raoof Hasan seconded him.

While taking an interest in intra-party elections PTI’s leader Akbar S Babar after 13 years visited the PTI secretariat to collect information related to the entire process of the elections including the submission of nomination papers, and voting lists.

Babar, however, did not choose to run for the party chairman slot.

The elections were held after the Election Commission of Pakistan told the party it could lose its electoral symbol ‘bat’ unless polls were held within 20 days.