ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Sa­­turday suspended the membership of its Karachi-based Member National Assembly (MNA) Abdul Shakoor Shad, who had filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) claiming that he had never resigned from his seat.

The former ruling party asked the MNA to explain his deviation from the party policy of mass resignations. According to the party sources, the show cause notice to the Karachi lawmaker was issued by the PTI Sindh President Ali Zaidi. It stated that Mr Shad had claimed that he had resigned from his seat on multiple occasions, but later he went against the party policy and filed a case in court.

The notice asked Mr Shad to explain why he spoke against the party and directed him to submit his reply within seven days. It said the PTI leader will not be able to hold any party office or position as his basic membership of the party has been suspended.

At least 131 MNAs bel­o­nging to the PTI resigned in April after Mr Khan’s ouster throu­­gh a vote of no-confidence. The incumbent Nat­ional Assembly speaker, however, accepted the resignations of only 11 members, including Mr Shad’, followed by an ECP notification. Mr Shad then approa­ched the IHC, which reinstated him as an MNA and set aside the ECP’s de-notification order.

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2022