PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has served show cause notices on 52 councillors, newly-elected district nazims, one senator and an MPA in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for allegedly violating the party’s discipline in the elections of tehsil and district nazims.
The basic party membership of these PTI activists, including Senator Azam Swati from Mansehra district, who had served as the party’s provincial chief, and MPA Yaseen Khan Khalil from Peshawar, will be terminated if they do not give satisfactory answer of the notices.
Flanked by PTI provincial organiser Fazal Khan, Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, who also belongs to Imran Khan’s party, told a news conference here on Wednesday that several councillors had committed floor crossing in the election of tehsil and district nazims and therefore, action was being taken against them under the local government law.
He said the defection clause of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Act 2013 would be applied to councillors, who had either remained absent on the polling day or supported the rival party’s candidates.
Issues show cause notices to Senator Swati, MPA, councillors and tehsil, district nazims
The chief minister said PTI could not win slot of district and tehsil nazims due to defection of these councillors and they would be expelled from the party.
“There is no room for defectors in PTI and will be treated under Section 78(A) of the local government act,” he said, adding that the existing law did not allow floor crossing in local government elections.
Khattak said several councillor remained absent that gave benefit to candidates of the rival parties.
He said 52 defectors would receive show cause notices within one week and if they could not defend their positions then Election Commission of Pakistan would be requested to take legal action against them.
“The commission will make final decision against such people within one month,” he said.
The chief minister expressed satisfaction at the party’s performance in the local government elections and said PTI had managed to win nine slots of district nazim and 22 tehsil nazim across the province.
He said other political parties had jointly contested election against PTI despite that it (PTI) emerged single largest party in the province.
“Election results show that people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have trust in PTI and its popularity has further increased,” he said.
Khattak defended allotment of ticket to his brother to contest for the slot of Nowshera district nazim and said his brother’s nomination was made on merit.
He said he had discussed the issue with PTI chairman Imran Khan and convinced him.
PTI organiser Fazal Khan said show cause notices would be served on 10 PTI councillors in Peshawar, four in Karak, one in Charsadda, 11 in Buner, two in Malakand, 11 in Abbottabad, six in Havelian and five in Mansehra, while
two newly district nazims would also get notices for violating party discipline.
He said investigations were underway in other districts and that action would be taken against them for breaching the law and violating the party’s discipline.
Fazal Khan said Senator Azam Swati had also violated discipline and formed own group to elect his nephew as district nazim Mansehra.
He said Azam Swati and MPA Yaseen Khalil had campaigned against PTI’s candidates in Mansehra and Peshawar and would lose basic party membership if they did not reply to show cause notices.
Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2015
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