PESHAWAR/NOWSHERA: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has suspected its nine MPAs, including three women, of violating its policy and discipline in the recent Senate elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by voting for rival candidates, a senior leader of the ruling party said on Monday.

He told Dawn here that an inquiry against the lawmakers involved in horse-trading was likely to be completed in next two days and final report would be submitted to party chairman Imran Khan.

The PTI leader declined to name the MPAs who violated the party’s policy and discipline in the Senate polls held on March 3.

He said Mr Imran would announce names of the ‘culprits’ after receiving inquiry report.

Leader says Imran to name ‘culprits’ in light of inquiry

“The information gathered through different channels shows that at least six men and three women violated the party’s policy. The party leadership has credible reports that these people had received a handsome amount for selling their votes,” he said, adding that the opposition parties had also given clues against these MPAs.

Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has initiated an inquiry against the PTI members after receiving instructions from Imran Khan, who announced that the MPAs would expel from the ruling party if they were found guilty of being involved in horse trading.

The PTI sources said Khattak had ordered investigations into the matter immediately after receiving instructions from Imran Khan on Saturday.

They said a total of 19 PTI MPAs, including dissidents, and those expelled from the party, had voted for rival candidates.

The sources said the PTI lost one seat in the Senate election because of horse-trading.

Six MPAs, including Qurban Ali Khan, Amjad Afridi, Babar Salim, Javed Nasim, Jamshid Mohmand and Ziaullah Afridi, were already expelled on the charges of violation of the party discipline.

One dissident MPA blamed Chief Minister Pervez Khattak for ‘revolt’ in the party.

At least 18 MPAs of the party had formed a ‘forward bloc’ against Chief Minister Pervez Khattak.

Some of them had demanded the removal of Mr Khattak as leader of the house.

Ziaullah, who was jailed over corruption, joined Pakistan People’s Party, while Jamshed Mohmand and Salim Babar switched over to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

Amjad Afridi’s membership was terminated on the charge of violating party policy in the local government elections.

According to the insiders, it was the party’s policy not to vote for the chief of his own faction of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Maulana Samiul Haq, who bagged only four votes in the Senate polls.

They said the party could not manage to support Maulana Sami in the polls.

The party had initially announced support for Maulana Samiul Haq’s candidature.

CM SATISFIED: KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak told a public meeting in Pabbi area of Nowshera on Monday that he was quite satisfied with the recent Senate election’s results as the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had performed well.

He claimed that the PTI PMAs had done nothing wrong in the polls and voted for the party’s candidates.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2018