PESHAWAR, May 3: The Awami National Party on Wednesday termed just an ‘eyewash’ the Jamaat-i-Islami’s move to expel two lawmakers for violating party discipline in the Senate elections.
A statement issued by the party’s general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain here said that the ANP was the only party which had expelled its MPAs on same charges during the last Senate polls.
It said that the MMA had so far expelled only six MPAs while 18 of its law-makers did not vote for the alliance in Senate elections.
He said that all parties, especially the MMA, should learn from ANP’s experience and hold every MPA, who indulged in horse-trading in the Senate election, accountable.
He said that MMA’s move to expel its MPAs mimicked the ANP’s decision to expel its legislators.
Earlier, MMA leaders had argued that all alliance nominees had won in Senate elections because every one of them had voted for them. But it reconsidered its strategy owing to public pressure and the trend set by the ANP, he said.
He also reminded that the JUI-F had already expelled four of its MPAs on charges of horse-trading, adding that it also compounded pressure on the Jamaat.
The MMA, he said, still needed to take action against
12 other MPAs, who sold out their votes in the Senate election.
The alliance should first put its own house in order before accusing others. Blaming the ANP without any reason and logic would create misunderstanding, he said, adding that the people were waiting for the MMA to expel 18 MPAs.
