The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) (Urdu: پاکستان تحريک انصاف; Pakistan Movement for Justice) is a centrist, nationalist and communitarianpolitical party in Pakistan, which was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party is an anti-status quomovement advocating for Islamic democratic form of government, Welfare economy with social market model and a modern Muslim society inPakistan.[6][7]
The fastest growing political party in Pakistan, even though with little election success so far, PTI has established itself as one of the country's mainstream national parties mainly after 30 October 2011 when over a hundred thousand people gathered in Lahore in support of the Party.[8] PTI claims to have over 6 million workers in Pakistan, popularly called 'Insafiyans'. According to Political analysts PTI has a significant vote bank in Central, Southern and Western Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Upper Sindh. The PTI claims to be only non-family party of mainstream Pakistani politics.[9] Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League (N) are direct competitors of PTI. With over 10 million members in Pakistan and abroad, it is not only Pakistan's largest party but also one of the world's largest parties by membership.[3] According toInternational Republican Institute (IRI), as of May 2012, PTI is Pakistan's most popular party.
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History
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was founded by Imran Khan on 25 April 1996 in Lahore, Pakistan.[2] Founded initially as a sociopolitical movement, In June 1996 the first Central Executive Committee of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was formed under the leadership of Imran Khan, included the following eight founding fathers: Muhammad Najeeb Haroon, Nazim Haji, Hamid Khan, Dr Parvez Hassan, Abdul Hafeez Khan, Owais Ghani, Dr Abdul Mateen, and Dr Mohammad Farooq.[citation needed] PTI began to grow slowly but never achieved immediate popularity. During the 1990s, Pakistan experienced instability, as Pakistan's two largest political parties, the PPP and the PML(N), were elected but never completed their tenure due to allegations of corruption and mismanagement. In this time of divisive discord between the two feuding political parties, Khan launched PTI as a party which he claimed represented the true aspirations of the people of Pakistan. In 1999, when President Nawaz Sharif, a PML(N) politician, was ousted by GeneralPervez Musharraf in a bloodless coup, Khan supported General Musharraf because he believed that General Musharraf would be able to unite the country and lead it forward, away from the internal bickering and impotency of Pakistan's main political parties.[citation needed] Khan later became one of Musharraf's most vehement critics.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's constitution was approved on 24 January 1999 by the Central Executive Committee in Lahore, Pakistan. In October 2002, Imran Khan ran for office in the National Elections and became a Member of Parliament (MP) for Mianwali, his home town. The PTI supported Musharraf's 2002 referendum allowing for Musharraf to remain in power as president for a further five years. During Musharraf's administration, PTI supported the government's policies, which had allowed for strong economic growth, liberalisation of the media, and general increase in prosperity and development.[citation needed] Khan, however, remained deeply critical of the entire political order of Pakistan, which he deemed corrupt, inefficient, and morally bereft of any of the founding principles of Pakistan. In protest, Khan began a grassroots campaign to raise awareness about his political party.
After Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in 2007 and Nawaz Sharif returned from self-exile in Saudi Arabia, pressure increased upon President Musharraf to hold democratic elections. PTI, in conjunction with many political parties, joined the All Parties Democratic Movement, which was opposed to further military rule. The general elections in 2008 resulted in a PPP victory. These elections were boycotted by PTI.
During the Asif Ali Zardari's presidency, Imran Khan's popularity has soared amid discontent with the ruling administration's domestic and foreign policy. PTI's strongest appeal is its credentials as a populist party. Projecting itself as the only political party which will be able to solve the many ills that plague Pakistan, PTI has promised to create a truly independent, self-reliant Pakistan which is free from debt, dependency, and discord if elected to power in the 2013 general elections. In Pakistan: A Personal History, PTI Chairman Imran Khan argues that a selfish and corrupt ruling elite, made up of primarily politicians, feudal leaders, and military bureaucrats, has destroyed Pakistan and brought it to the brink of disaster. PTI has emerged as a robust counterweight to Pakistan's two traditional political parties, the PPP and the PML-N. While the PML-N's former stronghold consisted of the urban areas of Punjab and the PPP drew most of its support from Sindh, PTI maintains that it represents all Pakistanis, regardless of religious, ethnic, linguistic, and provincial backgrounds.
Ideology
Pakistan Tahreek e Insaf's agenda articulates and spells out the vision of a modern Islamic republic that advocates individual's welfare through community's cooperation. PTI wants to set Pakistan on a course to political stability, social harmony, and economic prosperity for all religious, ethnic and racial communities.
PTI has an agenda to blend traditional social and religious values and cultural and ethnic diversity of Pakistan into common goals and aspirations for a just society based on Mohammad Iqbal's and Mohammad Ali Jinnah's vision of Islamic democratic culture providing Social security, Welfare and the Rule of law.
Mohammad Iqbal's work has influenced Imran Khan in his deliberations on an "Islamic social state". Khan's call for religion and national pride to play a greater role appeal primarily to a gradually growing young and educated urban middle class. The frustration about Pakistan's stalled development runs particularly deep among this group. The large political parties in the country are seen as a cartel, which has left power and wealth firmly in the hands of close-knit family clans for decades. As the political elite have shown neither the desire or ability to act against the energy crisis, inflation, and social tensions, the population is looking for alternatives.[10]
Providing a credible new leadership for restoration of Pakistan's political and economic sovereignty through building a new bond of trust between the government and the people is another stated goal of party. Establishment of a strong accountability and anti-corruption system is also very important part of PTI's agenda.[11]
Imran Khan has a nationalist opinion about country's law and order problems. Terrorist attacks and extremism can only be overcome by endingPakistan's alliance with the USA. Drone attacks in Pakistan and military action in the border region with Afghanistan only promote the growth of militant groups, Imran Khan says. Pakistan's sovereignty is being sold in exchange for American financial aid.[12]
Policies
The PTI released its detailed policies which can be viewed at: [13]
Social policies
As a revolutionary party that has recently arrived on the national stage, PTI has called for major social, economic, and political reforms. PTI's ideology is derived mainly from Allama Iqbal's vision of a self-reliant, modern democracy derived from the guiding principles inherent in Islam. While Pakistan remains heavily reliant on international lenders and aid donors, PTI has promised to stop all foreign aid if it comes to power.[14] PTI maintains that corruption in all of its forms – whether moral, financial, spiritual – has ruined Pakistan, and therefore a culture of accountability and transparency is needed to restore faith in the system of government.[15] PTI has robustly argued for religious tolerance and greater representation for minorities. A number of Christians, Sikhs, and Hindus have joined the PTI in recent months because of the party's unwavering support for tolerance and diversity.[16]PTI chief has spoken out about the dangers of religious extremism, sectarianism, narrow parochialism, intolerance, and hatred, emphasising that it will do everything in its power to protect minority rights.[17] Besides minorities, PTI has also spoken out for the plight of senior citizens, poor people, and women.[18]
Education policies
PTI believes in raising education standards across the country, launching a campaign to achieve universal literacy, and promoting schools and colleges in the nation.[19] PTI Chairman Imran Khan has called for much-needed education reform and has promised to implement a universal system of education.[19] At present, Pakistan follows several very different and competing models, which have had mixed results.[20] By focusing on women, PTI believes that it will result in an uplifting of society and general prosperity.[21]
Tackling corruption
Corruption in Pakistan is a serious and endemic problem, with Transparency International ranking the country 134/182 in its latest corruption index.[22]
According to calculations performed by Transparency International, Pakistan has lost an unbelievably high amount, more than Rs8.5 trillion (US $94 billion), in corruption, tax evasion and bad governance during the last four years of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani’s tenure.[23] An adviser of Transparency International acknowledged that "Pakistan does not need even a single penny from the outside world if it effectively checks the menace of corruption and ensures good governance".[23] The Transparency International also noted that the four years of the present regime under Gilani had been the worst in terms of corruption and bad governance in the country’s history.[23]
PTI chief Imran Khan has said that corruption is the root cause of all of Pakistan's main problems.[24] Promising to establish a model welfare state that provides for its citizens,[25] reduce unemployment by creating many jobs, and implement economic policies which are conducive to reducing poverty,[26] PTI has achieved widespread popularity for its proposed economic agenda.[26]
Political policies
PTI has also called for a complete overhaul of Pakistan's current political order[27] and PTI chief Imran Khan has personally promised to eliminate the thana and patwari cultures which have robbed Pakistan.[28] PTI believes in a complete abolition of feudalism,[29] economic inequality,[29] and an end to government mismanagement. PTI has promised to crack down on police brutality, restructure the civil service, reform the electoral system, allow for a truly independent judiciary, decentralize state power, and enforce all laws which extend personal liberty.[29] Imran Khan has been one of the few politicians to fully disclose his assets[30] and in doing so, has started a trend towards greater transparency and accountability.
Military policies
The PTI will install civilian supremacy over Pakistan’s military and Imran Khan would rather resign if the Army and the ISI did not function under civilian authority. The armed forces will be under complete civilian control, the ISI will report directly to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, the defence budget will be audited by the government and that no terrorism will take place from Pakistani soil.[31] Imran Khan dismissed claims from critics who believe this is not possible, stating that South Korea was a military dictatorship between 1961 and 1987 and now South Korea is a civilian led, full-fledged democracy as well as emerging as a fully developed nation. Asked specifically if he could be the boss of General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Imran Khan replied: “100 per cent. I have never, ever been controlled by anyone. People know me for 35 years. I’ve never been controlled by anyone.”[32] Khan further stated: "The army was controlling the situation in Balochistan, the tribal areas and the erstwhile militant-infected Swat with 'no civilian input' while the country’s largest city of Karachi was controlled by the paramilitary Pakistan Rangers." Khan pledged to end such current situations if the PTI came to power.[33]
Nuclear weapons
The PTI will maintain Pakistan's nuclear arsenal and that Pakistan's status as a nuclear armed state cannot be compromised. Imran Khan has stated that before Pakistan became a nuclear-armed state, there were three wars with India, but after acquiring nuclear weapons, there has been no wars. Therefore, Pakistan's nuclear deterrence have been effective so far. However, Imran Khan has stated in an interview with Julian Assange that he personally advocates a world without nuclear weapons but doesn't believe it will happen in his lifetime.
Foreign policy
PTI believes in pursuing a foreign policy based on a nationalist agenda, which it believes will safeguard all of Pakistan's national interests and promote greater regional cooperation. PTI Chairman Imran Khan has promised to forge stronger relationships with neighbouring countries, but not at the cost of Pakistan's national sovereignty or territorial integrity.[34] Promising to further cementbilateral relations with China, which have already been boosted under the PPP administration, Imran Khan has laid out a bold agenda of building alliances with friendly countries to strengthen Pakistan's long-term interests. Arguing that terrorism, extremism, and radicalisation have only increased as Pakistan has joined the US-led War on Terror, PTI believes that Pakistan must withdraw from this war, negotiate a peace settlement, and fight the battle against militancy on its own terms. PTI has promised to fully restore Pakistan's economic and political sovereignty if elected into power and has consistently vilified the PPP-led federal government for subverting Pakistan's national interests and strategic ambitions in order to please international powers.[35]
United States PTI hopes to have a relationship which will be based on "self dignity and respect." Imran Khan also dismissed accusations from critics who allege he is anti-American. Imran Khan has responded and clarified "I'm not anti-American; I'm anti-war on terror." Imran Khan assured US Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter that the U.S. Government has nothing to worry about if the PTI wins the 2013 general election.[36] The PTI will also stop all foreign aid to Pakistan, including aid from the United States.[32]
India PTI will make the Kashmir issue a top priority and will try and solve the issue permanently so that Pakistan no longer has any border or territorial disputes with any of its neighbours.[37]
General elections
Less than one year after its founding, PTI contested its first elections in the 1997 general elections, when Khan unsuccessfully stood from seven constituencies.[38] In the 2002 general elections, the party won 0.8% of the popular vote with 1 out of 272 elected members.[39]
PTI openly boycotted the Pakistani general election on 18 February 2008 because it believed that the election was fraudulent and laced with irregularities. With rising discontent among all of Pakistan's traditional political parties and dissatisfaction with the corrupt political order, PTI has surged ahead. In recent polls, Imran Khan has emerged as Pakistan's most popular politician, and many disenchanted citizens believe that only his party can bring genuine change.[40] Therefore, PTI has taken to massive campaigning and rallying to bring about a clean sweep in the next general elections. PTI's recent jalsas (rallies) have attracted a lot of publicity and have been very successful in garnering support for his party.
Insaf Student Federation
The Insaf Student Federation is the official student wing of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. ISF is present in all provinces of Pakistan. ISF has been celebrated as the best student organisation of any political party in Pakistan. Glorified for its activism and political prowess, ISF has held many protests and rallies in all parts of Pakistan to create awareness about different issues.
Membership drive
The membership campaign was started by Imran Khan to increase political participation and make the people of Pakistan become more acquainted with the PTI agenda. The membership drive is still going on and has been very successful, especially in Pakistan's largest cities. The membership campaign arranged by the party is a unique one, with a number of floats roaming various cities with huge banners and Imran Khan's picture on top of them. Also a documentary named Nijat-e-Dahinda (The Saviour) is shown on screen, in which the vision of the chairman and the party manifesto is explained. At the end of the documentary, Imran Khan appears and gives a message to the people of Pakistan to join the party and strengthen its hands.
The party is predominantly funded by wealthy benefactors who live in Europe and North America.[41]
Lahore
PTI started its membership drive with the slogan of promoting change from Lahore on 16 November 2008 and ended it on 1 December 2008 with the chairman of the party Imran Khan giving a speech at Nasir Bagh, where more than 4000 people had gathered.[42]
The membership was very successful and around 150,000 people and more than 500 lawyers joined the party.[43] This was a severe blow to all the mainstream parties of Pakistan, such as PML(N), Pakistan Muslim League (Q) (PML(Q)), and PPP as Tehreek-e-Insaf was always considered as an insignificant party. This was also an indication that people in Lahore started to turn towards the PTI as a substitute instead of the leading political party, PML(N). The membership made PML(Q) start its own membership campaign on the pattern of PTI, but it was not able to get any attention. Also, other political parties like the PML(N) and the PPP have become more defensive and active to counter the growing political clout of the PTI.[43]
Islamabad/Rawalpindi
The membership dive was further extended and taken to Islamabad/Rawalpindi, which started on 15 December 2008 and ended on 17 December 2008. Even though the weather was not favourable, many people of these twin cities came out to support the PTI. Most of the people joining were lawyers, students, and people from the lower-middle class. Also, a great number of women were seen at the camps and floats to join the party.
Peshawar
Another city PTI chose to spread its membership drive was Peshawar, which is the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In a survey conducted by theInternational Republican Institute (IRI) in 2007, PTI was the second most popular party in the province.[44] The membership campaign began on the same day as the one in Rawalpindi, but due to some last minute problems, it was delayed until 20 December 2008.[45] The people of Peshawar responded well to the membership drive and around 2,000 new members registered to vote on the first day, which was a great success.[46] Like other cities, mostly educated persons were seen to be joining PTI.[47] In Peshawar, the number of women appearing at the camps was markedly less due to some cultural prohibitions but many old people were seen to be joining PTI. After eight days of campaigning, around 600 people joined PTI.[48] Also, the chairman of the party Imran Khan went to Peshawar on 23 December 2008 during the membership campaign. That proved to be a historic event as thousands of people gathered there to welcome him.[49]
Other cities
The membership campaign has been further extended to Faisalabad, and around 80,000 members registered from this city.[50] Other cities where the membership drive will begin are Multan and Gujranwala.
Jalsa
Tahreek-e-Insaf calls his jalsas "Tsunami", a flood against corruption. Tahreek-e-Insaf held a very huge and successful jalsa in Lahore on 30 October 2011. More than 100,000 PTI supporters gathered in this rally (jalsa).[51] Important political leaders of Pakistan, like Javed Hashmi, Shah Mehmood Qureshi and a huge number of common peoples joined PTI after Lahore's jalsa. On 25 December 2011, Tahreek-e-Insaf held a jalsa in Karachi which was the greatest in PTI's history and very successful. Over 250 000 people were counted.These two rallies (jalsas) were a great success for PTI and according to them no one had a huge jalsa like PTI before these two jalsas. They have been followed with large rally's in Quetta, Rawalpindi andHyderabad. After these jalsas PTI become symbol of revolution against corruption. After these big jalsas PTI started organising rallies in small towns. Important towns where PTI established itself as mainstream party are Sialkot, Muzaffargurh and Abbottabad.
Central leadership
| Designation | Name |
|---|---|
| Chairman and Leader | Imran Khan |
| Vice Chairman | Shah Mehmood Qureshi |
| President | Javed Hashmi |
| Secretary General | Arif Alvi |
| Senior Vice President | Ejaz Chaudhary |
| Senior Vice President | Asad Umar |
| Senior Vice President | Ishaq Khakwani |
| Senior Vice President | Hamid Khan |
| Additional Secretary General | Saifullah Nayazee |
| Finance Director | Sardar Azhar Tariq |
Notable members
- Abdul Quayyum Khan Kundi
- Air Marshall (rtd) Shahid Zulfiqar
- Ali Asghar Khan
- Jehangir Khan Tareen
- Justice (rtd) Wajihuddin
- Masood Sharif Khattak
- Mian Muhammad Azhar
- Najeeb Haroon
- Rustam Shah Mohmand
- Samson Simon Sharaf
- Shoukat Ali Yousafzai
- Tasneem Noorani
Constitution
The constitution published online on PTI's official website, PTI was established to mobilise the people to extricate Pakistan from its present state of despair and to set it on the path of unity, solidarity, social justice and prosperity. The Central Executive Committee is the main central council, it's duty is to assist the Chairman to carry out day-to-day functions of the National Council, To lay down the party policy and to guide the party at the national level and to act as executive authority of the party at the national level. According to the party Constitution The Chairman the Head and the Chief spokesman of the Party and shall exercise all powers inherent in his office. His duty is to ensure that the Organization at all levels works in accordance with the aims and objects of the Party. He shall have the power to delegate any of his powers to the Secretary General or to any member of the Central Executive Committee. He shall have power to suspend any office bearer at the national and provincial levels pending disciplinary action against him. In the event of removal or suspension of an office bearer, he may delegate power and duties of such office bearer to any other member of the Party. He shall have all other powers which have not been specifically stated including power of interpretation of the Party constitution for successful functioning of the Organization. Provided that an appeal against the Chairman's interpretation could be made to the National Council.
A new constitution was drafted by the constitutional committee of the party headed by prominent lawyer and Senior Vice President Hamid Khan. According to the new constitution two new positions were created i.e. Vice Chairman and President. These new positions do not have any specific constitutional powers but rely on the Chairman to be given specific tasks.
Party election
In March 2012 PTI announced to hold U.S.-style intra-party election, according to a press briefing the U.S.-style candidate nomination and ticket-awarding process, PTI would aim to introduce local caucuses on district levels throughout the country. Aspiring candidates would undertake debates and undergo primaries to win a party ticket for contesting on Provincial Assembly or National Assembly seats. The elections are scheduled to hold after massive membership drive with the target being four million registered members for their electoral college. If these election takes place PTI would become Pakistan's first political party to hold intra party election, even though the law does not require it to do so.
Popularity
PTI was voted as most popular party in Pakistan at national level. At the provincial level it was most popular in North-West Frontier Province andBalochistan and second most popular in Punjab and Sindh. The population under study was representative of the adult population of Pakistan with sample size of 5,985 people aged 18 years and above. Kish method was used to select respondents aged 18 years and older within the randomly selected household. The left hand method was used to select every third household in localities selected through area probability sample.
Insaf Research Wing
Insaf Research Wing (IRW) is a part of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) created to carry out research in order to find solutions for problems in Pakistan. The foremost goal of IRW is to keep people of Pakistan and PTI informed and prepared. The wing is composed of 10 committees. Each committee addresses issues related to its field of expertise. The research reports/papers are either commissioned by the central executive committee of PTI or committee members of IRW. The Wing does not follow a preset ideology while carrying out research. IRW does not endorse any opinion presented in a published report/paper as an official position. Any published document by the wing does not constitute it as an official position of PTI unless otherwise stated. Insaf Research Wing works at a national level but its members are located throughout the world bringing in the much needed international experience. IRW practices an open membership policy valid for all Pakistanis regardless of religion or race.
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