PTI signals openness to AJK elections

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Gohar Ali Khan said on Monday that the party could revisit its decision to stay out of the upcoming Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections if it is given what he described as a fair political environment and its leaders and workers are not subjected to arrests or crackdowns.

Speaking to reporters, Gohar said the decision to boycott the polls was made after consultations with the party’s parliamentary wing, its allies and PTI’s leadership in AJK. He said the party believed it had been left with no alternative because, in its view, a free political atmosphere was absent.

Attributing the position to PTI, he said the party remained committed to democracy and had taken the boycott decision with difficulty. He added that the party could return to the electoral process if its workers and leaders were spared arrests and other coercive measures.

"The PTI was compelled to boycott the AJK elections, but in politics nothing is final. If we are provided a free and conducive environment, we can reconsider the boycott decision," Gohar said.

Boycott announced last week

The remarks came four days after PTI formally announced that it would not contest the AJK Legislative Assembly elections, which are scheduled for July 27.

PTI’s regional president and former AJK prime minister, Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi, had said earlier that the move was taken in solidarity with the people of the region in light of what the party called a worsening political and humanitarian situation. He had said the boycott was not a political strategy.

The party has also suspended all recommendations related to ticket allocation for its prospective AJK candidates while it reviews the situation.

Unrest and legal uncertainty

The boycott followed weeks of unrest in AJK after the government outlawed the Joint Awami Action Committee (Jaac) under anti-terrorism laws. Despite the ban, Jaac has continued its protests. Clashes between protesters and security personnel have resulted in several deaths, though the authorities and the group have presented differing versions regarding the casualties.

PTI has cited the arrests of political workers, limits on media coverage and disruption of supply lines from Punjab among the reasons it says the coming election cannot be regarded as credible under current conditions.

The party’s legal position in AJK also remains unsettled. The AJK High Court had restored PTI’s registration and ordered the reinstatement of its electoral symbol, the bat, after the AJK Election Commission moved to cancel it.

The election commission later challenged that ruling before the AJK Supreme Court, which deferred hearing the matter on July 3. With the court on summer recess until October 7, the case is not expected to be decided before polling day.