Imran Khan officially named as PTI nominee for Pak PM

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's parliamentary committee yesterday officially named party chairman Imran Khan as their parliamentary leader and nominee for the next prime minister of Pakistan.

"The nomination of Imran Khan will be mere formality," senior party leader Dr Arif Alvi said before the meeting took place. "All 120 parliamentary committee members are in consensus over this."

"The final decision on cabinet members will be taken by Imran Khan himself," he added.

When the caucus began, Qureshi presented a resolution in favour of Khan's nomination to become the party's parliamentary leader. The resolution was accepted unanimously.

Once Khan's nomination for the PM's role was official, all the parliamentary committee members congratulated the party chief.

Following the formal confirmation of his nomination, Khan addressed the assortment of PTI leaders.

"Today, I have been given the biggest of responsibilities," the PM-in-waiting said. "Today, the first phase of a 22-year-long struggle is complete. Today, God has given you a moral victory.

"After 1970, this is the first time that the masses have defeated the political elite. This happens very rarely that in a two-party system a third once gets a chance.

Khan warned his fellow party leaders that they must not govern the traditional way. "There are challenges aplenty for the PTI government," he said. "The people do not expect us to govern the traditional way; we are viewed as different. If we do traditional politics then we would also fall prey to the public wrath."

Khan vowed to "lead by example", saying: "I will make decision on merit and in the national interest, and will never ask you to do something that I wouldn't myself.

"One hour every week I will give answers to the public — like it happens in England. We will also make the ministers answerable to the public in the truest sense."