KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday suspended the basic party membership of retired Justice Wajihuddin Ahmad, according to a statement issued by Shireen Mazari, who is the spokesperson for the PTI chief.

The statement said that the suspension came on the heels of Mr Khan’s Aug 4 notification stating that anyone discussing party matters publicly would be suspended from party membership.

Read: Imran Khan threatens to sack party members who spill beans to media

The statement said that Mr Ahmad had defied Mr Khan’s notification and declared that he would continue to air internal party matters in public.

It also elaborated that Mr Khan had held a three-hour long meeting with Justice (r) Wajihuddin last weekend, making it clear that “no democratic political party allows its members to discuss internal party matters in the public domain” and that grievances should be aired internally in party forums.

Also read: PTI chief resolves differences with Justice (r) Wajihuddin, Hamid Khan

The two-member tribunal headed by Mr Ahmad had been formed by the party in 2013 to investigate allegations of irregularities in the intra-party elections. After its detailed judgement, issued on March 18, Mr Khan had dissolved the tribunal, and issued a notification of its dissolution, which stated that the tribunal stood dissolved with effect from March 22.

The tribunal had earlier passed several orders on various petitions and termed the intra-party polls seriously flawed, reducing the terms of office of those elected from four years to two years.

Subsequently, after it had been officially dissolved, the tribunal summoned Mr Khan to appear before it on April 21 to explain why he had not complied with its earlier orders.

The retired justice had expressed his reservations, especially with regards to the non-implementation of his tribunal's decisions during a previous meeting.

PTI’s official statement said that in light of the Aug 4 notification, Mr Khan had been left with no choice but to suspend Mr Ahmad’s membership.

It emphasised that there should be no confusion about the fact that according to the party constitution “it is the Chairman who is authorised to make the final decision on what is in the best interest and advancement of the Party.”