PTI Boycotts Upcoming By-elections, Backs Imran Khan's Decision

Islamabad, Aug 27 (PTI) Former prime minister Imran Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has opted to boycott the upcoming by-elections for national and provincial assemblies, aligning with the viewpoint of its founder, Imran Khan. Several assembly seats were left vacant last month due to the conviction of PTI leaders involved in the May 9, 2023 riots. The decision to boycott was made by the party’s political committee after Khan's consultation with his legal team at Adiala Jail, as reported by The Dawn newspaper. Earlier, Khan's stance was communicated to the media by his sister, Aleema Khan, who met the 72-year-old cricketer-turned-politician in prison. She was accompanied by PTI Secretary-General Salman Akram Raja, whose resignation Khan reportedly declined. Aleema refuted reports of a disagreement with Raja, calling him "like family." She also conveyed Khan's directive for the political committee to reconsider the by-election issue. Later, PTI lawmaker Amir Dogar confirmed that the committee agreed with Khan's perspective against participating in the by-elections, and announced that party lawmakers would soon begin withdrawing from parliamentary bodies. The day before, the committee had narrowly voted 12-9 in favor of contesting the by-elections. PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqqas Akram had even indicated on social media that candidates would receive Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) tickets to avoid being classified as 'independents.' Former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser stated that Khan believes the party should avoid the by-elections and instruct its lawmakers to exit all parliamentary committees, including the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), due to the government's suppression of opposition voices in parliament. According to political analyst Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, it is unfortunate that Khan reversed the committee's decision, describing

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