Zipped up: PTI leaders thank Imran for lauding Jehangir, Aleem
Scheduled discussion on Hamid Khan’s statements dropped .
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Hamid Khan. PHOTO: EXPRESS
LAHORE:
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Lahore chapter dropped a discussion, on recent remarks passed by party leader Hamid Khan, which was on the agenda of its meeting at the Gulberg office on Tuesday, and instead thanked Imran Khan for recognising the contributions of Jehangir Tareen and Aleem Khan.
Party officials have said that the decision was taken after Imran Khan released a statement on Tuesday evening threatening to suspend the membership of any party worker who commented on the PTI’s internal matters on public forums. “The discussion on Hamid Khan’s remarks was on the agenda. Many PTI members had wanted to issue a strong reaction,” they said. After Imran Khan’s statement, however, no one brought it up.
The statement was released from the chairman’s secretariat before the meeting began. In it, Imran Khan expressed concerns over PTI members and leaders taking internal decisions and matters for discussion on public forums. He threatened to suspend the basic membership of any member found doing so. The statement says the PTI is a democratic party and members have the right to express their opinions within it. “If any member goes public and challenges party decisions, it is a serious breach of discipline and is unacceptable,” the statement says.
PTI’s Lahore chapter leaders had been engaged in a verbal battle with Hamid Khan after his recent outburst in the wake of the judicial commission’s verdict.
Shoaib Siddiqi, adviser to Imran Khan, denied that a discussion on comments made by Hamid Khan was on the meeting’s agenda. Siddiqi had chaired the meeting, attended, among others, by party leaders including Mian Aslam Iqbal, Jamshed Iqbal Cheema and Mehar Wajid.
Siddiqi said after the party chairman had expressed confidence in the party leaders, there was no point in commenting on Hamid Khan’s remarks. “The statement is self-explanatory.”
Participants of the meeting passed a unanimous resolution thanking the chief for his recognition of services rendered by the two leaders.
There was a discussion on the upcoming local government elections. The meeting also discussed the intraparty elections scheduled for after local government polls. Siddiqi said members were asked to speed up preparations for the polls, adding that they had been briefed about progress regarding cases pertaining to NA-122 and PP 147 that were pending in the election tribunal.
Last week, Siddiqi had condemned Hamid Khan’s statements and had asked for disciplinary action against him. On August 2, a condemnation resolution against Hamid Khan was passed after he held a press conference and criticised elements within the party that were proving, what he saw, as “cancerous”. He had expressed disappointment over the party being hijacked by politicians who had previously supported a military dictatorship. Hamid Khan had also called for an internal probe into the failure of the party’s legal team in proving election rigging. He had termed the judicial commission’s verdict a blow for the party.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 5th, 2015.
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Lahore chapter dropped a discussion, on recent remarks passed by party leader Hamid Khan, which was on the agenda of its meeting at the Gulberg office on Tuesday, and instead thanked Imran Khan for recognising the contributions of Jehangir Tareen and Aleem Khan.
Party officials have said that the decision was taken after Imran Khan released a statement on Tuesday evening threatening to suspend the membership of any party worker who commented on the PTI’s internal matters on public forums. “The discussion on Hamid Khan’s remarks was on the agenda. Many PTI members had wanted to issue a strong reaction,” they said. After Imran Khan’s statement, however, no one brought it up.
The statement was released from the chairman’s secretariat before the meeting began. In it, Imran Khan expressed concerns over PTI members and leaders taking internal decisions and matters for discussion on public forums. He threatened to suspend the basic membership of any member found doing so. The statement says the PTI is a democratic party and members have the right to express their opinions within it. “If any member goes public and challenges party decisions, it is a serious breach of discipline and is unacceptable,” the statement says.
PTI’s Lahore chapter leaders had been engaged in a verbal battle with Hamid Khan after his recent outburst in the wake of the judicial commission’s verdict.
Shoaib Siddiqi, adviser to Imran Khan, denied that a discussion on comments made by Hamid Khan was on the meeting’s agenda. Siddiqi had chaired the meeting, attended, among others, by party leaders including Mian Aslam Iqbal, Jamshed Iqbal Cheema and Mehar Wajid.
Siddiqi said after the party chairman had expressed confidence in the party leaders, there was no point in commenting on Hamid Khan’s remarks. “The statement is self-explanatory.”
Participants of the meeting passed a unanimous resolution thanking the chief for his recognition of services rendered by the two leaders.
There was a discussion on the upcoming local government elections. The meeting also discussed the intraparty elections scheduled for after local government polls. Siddiqi said members were asked to speed up preparations for the polls, adding that they had been briefed about progress regarding cases pertaining to NA-122 and PP 147 that were pending in the election tribunal.
Last week, Siddiqi had condemned Hamid Khan’s statements and had asked for disciplinary action against him. On August 2, a condemnation resolution against Hamid Khan was passed after he held a press conference and criticised elements within the party that were proving, what he saw, as “cancerous”. He had expressed disappointment over the party being hijacked by politicians who had previously supported a military dictatorship. Hamid Khan had also called for an internal probe into the failure of the party’s legal team in proving election rigging. He had termed the judicial commission’s verdict a blow for the party.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 5th, 2015.