ISLAMABAD – Taking the recent defeat in recent Lodhran by-polls ‘serious’, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has formed a fact-finding committee to investigate the party’s failures in winning the key election.
The committee – mandated to find out the reasons behind Monday’s setback – will be led by former secretary general Jahangir Tareen, whose son was the PTI’s candidate for NA-154 that he lost to PML-N’s Iqbal Qureshi.
Ali Tareen became actively involved in politics during his father’s by-election campaign in 2015. The older Tareen lost his National Assembly seat in December 2017 after the Supreme Court of Pakistan disqualified him for “being dishonest”. Soon after the verdict, Jahangir, known as one of the wealthiest lawmakers of Pakistan, abdicated his post as the PTI general secretary but continued to stand next to party leader Imran Khan.
He will now head the fact-finding committee to ascertain the party’s failures in retaining the seat – for which Tareen family contested its third election.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/vote-counting-in-na-154-lodhran-by-poll-underway/
The committee will submit its report to the chairman in one week.
Sources in the party have revealed the local leadership failed to woo the voters while engaging in ‘cosmetic campaign’. On the other hand, they added, the central leadership stood confined to media coverage.
Following the major upset for PTI, Imran Khan conveyed to all Insafians that “every setback is an opportunity to analyse one’s mistakes, correct them & come back stronger. Successful people, institutions & nations learn from their failures.”
For all Insafians who are feeling dejected after NA154 result, every setback is an opportunity to analyse one’s mistakes, correct them & come back stronger. Successful people, institutions & nations learn from their failures.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) February 12, 2018
He wrote on Twitter: “Those who get demoralised can never achieve their potential. In my decades of political struggle for Insaf I have never been demoralised but have come back stronger after confronting adversities. The 2018 election is ours inshaAllah.”
Those who get demoralised can never achieve their potential. In my decades of political struggle for Insaf I have never been demoralised but have come back stronger after confronting adversities. The 2018 election is ours inshaAllah. https://t.co/bwtQA90IWQ
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) February 12, 2018
PML-N’s Iqbal Shah won Monday’s by-polls in the NA-154 constituency by attaining 113,542 votes. His competitor, PTI’s Ali Tareen, contesting his first election on the seat, secured 85,933 votes.
