PTI MPA stripped of party membership

PTI says Gul Sahib Khan Khattak has been suspended for nepotism and backtracking from party decisions during LG polls

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf parliamentary board suspended on Friday the party membership of MPA Gul Sahib Khan Khattak for nepotism and backtracking from party decisions during local government polls.

However, the MPA from PK-40 (Karak-1) denied the allegations while speaking to The Express Tribune.

Sources privy to the development said the decision was taken during a meeting held in Islamabad. Khattak’s membership was suspended by PTI chairman Imran Khan after the party’s K-P organiser, Fazal Muhammad Khan, leveled a series of allegations against the MPA.

The PTI organiser told The Express Tribune the MPA had thrown his weight behind independent candidates in his constituency.

“Khattak’s brother was elected independently through these means,” said Fazal Muhammad. “The parliamentary board was told Khattak allegedly altered the list of reserved seats decided by the party and pulled strings to get his brother elected as nazim.”

No second chances

Flaying the MPA's conduct, Fazal Muhammad said Khattak was asked to appear before the organising members of the party. “However, the MPA failed to turn up to clear his name,” he said. “Keeping these facts in mind, there was no choice but to terminate his party membership. We will now take legal action against him.”

The other view

Karak district saw the largest level of mismanagement in the local government elections in K-P and re-polling had to be ordered at 69 stations.

When contacted, the MPA from Karak told The Express Tribune the decision was made in his absence and he was not given a chance to clarify his position. “

"I have neither been asked for an explanation nor has an official notice been issued,” said Khattak. “I have not misused official powers for any purpose and reject the allegations.”

According to the MPA, his brother initially wanted to contest elections with PTI’s support, but he stopped him.

“This is an internal party matter and we will sit down and resolve this issue—if there is any,” he said.

Last year, MPAs Yaseen Khalil and Shaukat Yousafzai were removed from the cabinet over their “poor performance”. Meanwhile, MPA Javed Naseem who was elected on a PTI ticket is now considered a dissident and his party membership was also terminated. Also, former minister for mines and mineral development Ziaullah Afridi, who is in custody of the Ehtesab Commission, has also been stripped of his party membership.

A party insider told The Express Tribune the decision against Khattak’s membership was final and “there is no going back for him”.