Imran Khan's Party Ordered to Hold Leadership Polls: Pakistan Election Commission Cracks Down Ahead of General Election

Pakistan's election commission has ordered Imran Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), to hold leadership polls in order to retain its voting symbol for next year's general election. Khan, the former premier, has been embroiled in legal cases since being ousted in 2022, which he believes are an attempt to prevent him from contesting the upcoming polls. The Election Commission of Pakistan has given PTI 20 days to hold intra-party elections to secure its longstanding symbol, a cricket bat.

Failure to comply with the directive would result in the party being ineligible to obtain an election symbol. Political parties in Pakistan are required to hold intra-party elections every five years. This decision comes amid a crackdown on PTI, with leading party figures either imprisoned or forced to leave the party. Khan himself has been in custody since August, awaiting trial on multiple allegations. PTI plans to challenge the verdict in an Islamabad court.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's caretaker Information Technology Minister, Dr. Umar Saif, unveiled the country's first ever IT and IT-enabled Services (ITeS) export strategy, which aims to increase IT exports to $10 billion in the next three years. The strategy, developed by the Pakistan Software Export Board in collaboration with PricewaterhouseCoopers, focuses on human resource development, capacity building, and the establishment of business-friendly policies and marketing efforts. Dr. Saif believes that investing in the IT sector is crucial for stabilizing and strengthening Pakistan's economy.

The strategy includes initiatives such as creating a freelancer facilitation program, a startup funding initiative, and a resilient IT ecosystem. The goal is to make Pakistan a global IT hub and boost associated industries and the overall economy. The IT industry plays a critical role in shaping Pakistan's economic landscape, according to Zohaib Khan, Chairman of Pakistan Software Houses Association. He stressed the importance of the industry's participation in the strategy's development. The ceremony announcing the IT export strategy featured a panel discussion with industry experts, who discussed challenges and strategies for growth. The event showcased Pakistan's commitment to significantly increasing its IT export revenues in the coming years.