LAHORE: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz on Friday issued a show-cause notice to MPA Uzma Qadri, wife of disgruntled leader Zaeem Qadri, for her failure to take oath and cast vote for the party candidates in the election of chief minister, speaker and deputy speaker in the Punjab Assembly.

In a notice, PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif said: “In the election of Punjab chief minister, speaker and deputy speaker, you willfully abstained and did not cast vote thus the party lost an important vote. In the first sitting of the Punjab Assembly, the PML-N made it mandatory for all elected members to ensure presence in the House on the first day to take the oath which you willfully disobeyed.”

The notice further said: “There are credible media reports that you are leaving PML-N and joining opposing political party without resigning from the Punjab Assembly and PML-N. Your actions and misconduct are in violation of party discipline. PML-N gave you respect and full political recognition but you have caused damage to the party. Therefore you are instructed to tender resignation from the membership of Punjab Assembly and reply to this notice within five days failing which your disqualification on the defection ground under Article 63(A) of the constitution will be initiated.”

Uzma Qadri told Dawn that she would take oath in the next session of the Punjab Assembly. “I could not take oath and cast vote in the election of chief minister, speaker and deputy speaker as I was unwell. It appears that the PML-N leadership is not properly briefed on the issue.”

As for her plans to say goodbye to the PML-N, she said: “Neither I will resign from the Punjab Assembly nor PML-N. I will sit in opposition. My husband had raised his voice against injustices in the party and it is not a crime. We were among the few who stood by the leadership after the military coup on Oct 12, 1999.”

Before July 25 elections, former Punjab minister and one of the core members of PML-N, Zaeem Hussain Qadri had taken on Shahbaz Sharif and his son Hamza for denying him a National Assembly ticket on NA-133 (Lahore).

“I cannot become a shoe polisher of Hamza. I have refused to do this job. I am an honourable man. Lahore is not your and your father (Shahbaz)’s fiefdom. You are promoting your shoe polishers,” Qadri had told a press conference.

Qadri contested NA-133 as an independent candidate and got around 2,000 votes. PML-N’s Pervaiz Malik won this seat.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2018