Announcing decision: Fauzia Kasuri officially quits PTI
Says party is hijacked by ‘mafia and lobbies’.
Fauzia Kasuri. PHOTO: WASEEM NIAZ
ISLAMABAD:
Former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf women wing leader Fauzia Kasuri officially announced her decision to quit the party on Wednesday.
Announcing her decision she stated that the party had been taken over by ‘mafias and lobbies’. “This is not the party that used to talk of giving people their rights,” she said addressing a press conference, at the National Press Club.
“Imran Khan gave us hope and courage to work for change – he is a great leader and he has always spoken of righteousness, change for good and eradicating poverty,” she added. Responding to a question she alleged that PTI had never held fair intra-party elections. She accused party election commissioner Hamid Khan of defrauding her by not allowing her to contest the party elections.
“These people allowed four dual nationality holders to contest the elections who were later disqualified, damaging the party’s reputation,” the former PTI leader said.
She blamed the top leadership of the party for not conducting audits of donations being collected locally and from abroad. “Whenever I talked over the issue Saifullah Khan Niazi who was in-charge of the accounts got upset and annoyed,” Kasuri added.
Responding to another question, she stated “it is not simply a matter of becoming an MNA, but workers who are sincere with the party should be encouraged and acknowledged”.
However, denying Kasuri’s claims, a spokesman of the party said that it was wrong to state that her name was not included in the list for the seats reserved for women and if only the party had managed to bag more votes she might have been selected.
Regarding the issue of not contesting the intra-party elections, PTI spokesperson told The Express Tribune that the elections were held on March 21, 2013 while Kasuri relinquished her US citizenship after that. “But nonetheless we respect her and consider her our asset. We are still making efforts to bring her back into the party fold,” the PTI spokesman said.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 6th, 2013.
Former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf women wing leader Fauzia Kasuri officially announced her decision to quit the party on Wednesday.
Announcing her decision she stated that the party had been taken over by ‘mafias and lobbies’. “This is not the party that used to talk of giving people their rights,” she said addressing a press conference, at the National Press Club.
“Imran Khan gave us hope and courage to work for change – he is a great leader and he has always spoken of righteousness, change for good and eradicating poverty,” she added. Responding to a question she alleged that PTI had never held fair intra-party elections. She accused party election commissioner Hamid Khan of defrauding her by not allowing her to contest the party elections.
“These people allowed four dual nationality holders to contest the elections who were later disqualified, damaging the party’s reputation,” the former PTI leader said.
She blamed the top leadership of the party for not conducting audits of donations being collected locally and from abroad. “Whenever I talked over the issue Saifullah Khan Niazi who was in-charge of the accounts got upset and annoyed,” Kasuri added.
Responding to another question, she stated “it is not simply a matter of becoming an MNA, but workers who are sincere with the party should be encouraged and acknowledged”.
However, denying Kasuri’s claims, a spokesman of the party said that it was wrong to state that her name was not included in the list for the seats reserved for women and if only the party had managed to bag more votes she might have been selected.
Regarding the issue of not contesting the intra-party elections, PTI spokesperson told The Express Tribune that the elections were held on March 21, 2013 while Kasuri relinquished her US citizenship after that. “But nonetheless we respect her and consider her our asset. We are still making efforts to bring her back into the party fold,” the PTI spokesman said.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 6th, 2013.