PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf will hold the long-overdue second intra-party elections on June 11 with party chief Imran Khan`s Insaf Panel confronted by Naik Mohammad Khan of the Ehtesab Panel.

Chief election commissioner of the party Azam Khan Swati told a news conference at PTI`s provincial secretariat on Thursday that 2.7 million registered members would cast vote by short message service using cellphones.

He said the registration would continue until late Thursday night.

The polling process will begin at 12pm on June 11 and will continue until June 12 midnight and voters will cast vote through text messages by pressing one or two for the two panels contesting the Intr a-party elections. The election results are likely to be announced on June 13.

The party stalwarts, including Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Jahangir Khan Tareen, Dr Arif Alvi, Sardar Yar MohammadRind,IshaqKhanKhakwani, Abdul Aleem Khan, Amir Mehmood Kayani and Faizullah Kamoka, are the Insaf Panel`s candidates.

Accompanied by provincial election commissioner of the party and MPA Dr Haider Ali Khan, Mr Swati said the eligible voters would receive message on their registered cellphones and in reply to that, voters would cast vote in favour of their panel through SMS.

He said the message would carry names of the two panels having a numerical numbers and the voters would have to send the relevant numerical number of the panel in a reply to that message.

`But do remember to have balance in your cell-phone account for sending an SMS other than package amount,` he said reminding those using different packages offered by cellphone companies to charge SMS and calls.

Mr Swati said Imran Khan headed the Insaf Panel, while Naik Mohammad Khan, one of PTI founding leaders from Sakhakot, led the rival Ehtesab Panel.

He said the voters would send SMS only from the cell phone numbers registered with the party`s election commission.

The PTI CEC said the holding of intraparty elections was constitutional and legal requirements but the workers would be also mobilised through this process.

He said intra-party polls would organise workers for the 2018 general elections in the country.

The PTI recently faced an embarrassing situation when it was informed by the Election Commission of Pakistan that it could no longer contest election on its symbol, bat, over failure to hold intraparty election to meet the requirement of the Political Parties Order 2002.

`The party is not eligible to get allotted an election symbol for any upcoming elections,` it was informed in April this year when one of its candidate applied for the party election symbol contesting in a by-election.-Bureau Report