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SWABI: The Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan (AJIP) has sent a reference to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly speaker for disqualification of the party MPA Babar Khan “on defection grounds.”
Mr Babar contested 2013 general elections from PK-31, Swabi-1, on the AJIP ticket and emerged victorious. His relations with AJIP leadership deteriorated when he was not made a minister after the provincial cabinet was expanded.
In the reference, which was available to Dawn here on Friday, AJIP chairman Shahram Khan Tarakai said in exercising “the extraordinary jurisdiction/power vested in me through the party constitution and under article 63-A (1) of the constitution, this reference for disqualification of MPA (Babar Khan) on the ground of defection is hereby submitted for necessary action.”
Several allegations have been made in the reference. One of them is that Mr Babar didn’t respond to a show-cause notice issued to him on August 7, 2015. Instead, “he adversely objected to the validity of the show-cause notice and questioned the jurisdiction of the core committee through which it was sent”.
In the reference it was alleged that the MPA repeatedly committed breach of the party discipline and violation of the code of conduct.
Another allegation made was that Mr Babar had cast his vote in the Senate elections contrary to the party direction.
Furthermore, Mr Babar worked openly against the party’s interest in the local government elections.
When contacted, Mr Babar confirmed to Dawn sending of a reference to the provincial assembly speaker against him by the AJIP.
He said he was not contacted by AJIP leadership about the party’s decision to merge with the PTI.
Sources close to Mr Babar told this correspondent that allegations of defection were uncalled for because Mr Babar had not joined any political party.
They said Mr Babar was deprived of his share of development funds despite being an elected member of the party.
Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2015
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