Imran had dissolved party hierarchies across the country and appointed new headmen.
HARIPUR/ PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Organiser Yousuf Ayub Khan has bowed out of the role within 24 hours of his appointment.
Addressing a press conference on Sunday, Yousuf said he has taken the decision for personal reasons. In a bid to reorganise the party and prepare it for local government elections, PTI supremo Imran Khan dissolved all party bodies and instead handed the reins to provincial organisers and their understudies across K-P on Saturday.
Within a day of Imran investing his trust in Yousuf, the latter refused to take charge. He said personal responsibilities will hamper his performance and instead requested Imran to appoint someone in his place. “I nonetheless thank the party chairman for believing in me,” he maintained.
When approached for a comment, Yousuf’s phone was answered by his personal secretary Said Khalid who confirmed the resignation and repeated Yousuf’s earlier statement.
Yousuf, the grandson of Field Marshal Ayub Khan, stepped into the provincial legislature with a PTI ticket from PK-50 in 2013. He has also served as the minister for communication and works.
However, a twist of fate left him de-seated last year over a violation of Article 62 and 63 (Majlis-e-Shoora qualification). He was disqualified by the Supreme Court following petitions filed by his rival candidates, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Qazi Muhammad Asad Khan and former K-P speaker Major (retd) Habibullah Khan.
Following his departure, Yousuf’s younger brother Akbar Ayub Khan saved grace and won the seat back in the by-polls. He was appointed as adviser to the CM for the aforementioned department.
For most of the past two years, the party’s Hazara chapter has seen internal rifts deepen. The issue aggravated significantly following the allotment of local government tickets to party members.
Talking to The Express Tribune, PTI leader Saad Abdullah said Yousuf’s appointment came as a surprise because he is not eligible to hold that position.
“It was probably a mistake on the part of the party,” he maintained. Abdullah said according to the Political Parties Order 2002, a de-seated lawmaker cannot hold a party position. “Had he not declined, the party would have soon removed him,” he added.
Meanwhile PTI K-P Spokesperson Ayesha Gulalai said she was unaware of Yousuf’s refusal of the appointment. “It is now up to the party chief to decide on another name,” she said.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 26th, 2015.
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