PTI to serve notices to Azam Swati, Yasin Khalil for ‘working against’ party policy in LG polls

Unless they can explain their actions, their party memberships will be cancelled, says PTI's provincial organiser

PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) chapter has announced that they will issue notices to its members, including Senator Azam Swati and MPA Yasin Khalil for cancelling their membership because they were 'working against' party policy.

But Swati and Khalil are not the only ones to whom notices will be served. A number of other members will also be sent notices for allegedly deviating from party policies during the local government elections in K-P districts conducted on August 30.

PTI’s provincial organiser Fazal Khan made the announcement in a press conference on Wednesday. He was accompanied by K-P Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, among other party leaders.

Khan said they had information about Senator Swati and K-P assembly member Khalil for working against party policy and decisions during the elections, because of which the party could not elect all of its targeted candidates.

Read: PTI's Arbab Asim elected as Peshawar district nazim in LG polls

In Mansehra, Shehryar Khan Swati, the nephew of Senator Azam Swati, did not get a PTI ticket for the nazim seat, hence he competed against the party's nominated candidate. As a result, the PTI candidate lost.

Khan claimed that the only reason that PTI lost that seat was that Swati had backed his nephew over the party's candidate.

“We are sending him a notice to tell us the reasons (for backing his nephew), and if he fails to satisfy us, his party membership will be cancelled,” he said. “A similar role was played by our MPA Yasin Khalil in Town-III.”

Besides, the party would issue membership and disqualification notices to 10 newly-elected members from Peshawar Town-III who did not show up in elections on August 30, or had voted against party candidates, added Khan.

Similarly, in Karak’s Tehsil Takht-e-Nasrati, four newly-elected members of PTI did not take part in casting their ballots; hence the Tehsil council contest ended in a tie.

“In Buner district, 11 members, both elected and nominated on reserved seats voted against party candidate. They will be served notices. Party lost the district nazim seats because of them.”

Similar trend was found in Malakand, and Abbottabad, added the party organiser.

Khan said notices will be issued on Wednesday, asking them to file a reply within a weeks’ time.

The notices are being served under Article 78-A of K-P Local Government (Amended) Act 2015, which defines an elected member’s disqualification from the councils on the grounds of defection.