Better late than never. Imran Khan has done well to order for the intra-party elections in his party within two months. If they were held in a fair and free manner, which no doubt are quite possible under the supervision of Tasneem Noorani, it would silence, once and for all, those critics who accuse the opportunists of occupying key party positions in the party without merit. The letter of (retd) Justice Wajiuddin to Imran Khan in which he holds 55 PTI members, including Imran Khan and some other important members of his core committee ineligible to contest these intra-party polls is stretching his point too much. Let every member of the PTI contest for any position within the party on which he thinks he is capable of appointment and let the rank and file of the PTI decide the matter. To bar any person from entering the electoral race would not be democratic.
Let us admit that during the past two years or so there has been a mushroom growth of the PTI supporters in the country , whereas, the party has not been able to utilise this massive swing in its favour owing to lack of proper organisation in umpteen districts of the country. With elections two and a half year away, this is the proper time for the party leadership to build up its base in every district of the country with an eye on the next general elections scheduled for 2018. The PTI can fill in the political vacuum created in Panjab due to debacle of the PPP. It can consolidate its position in the KPK by good governance while it can nibble at the vote bank of some political parties in Sind whose performance leaves much to be desired. It must evolve a political strategy for Balochistan also in order to qualify itself for the status of a national party of the country in the true sense of the word.
The next general elections are going to be very crucial for Imran Khan. They would present a do-or -die like situation for the PTI. They can land the PTI into power in Islamabad or push it into utter oblivion for ever. Mark my words.