Marwat in trouble again

ISLAMABAD: Firebrand senior leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Sher Afzal Marwat has landed into trouble once again after the party on Monday issued a show-cause notice to him for violation of the party discipline.

The development came after his recent remarks against PTI’s Secretary General Salman Akram Raja were put before the founder chairman Imran Khan, who directed to issue a show cause notice to him. He was issued a similar notice in May last year and ultimately his basic membership of the party was cancelled and he was asked to resign as MNA. However, the process was reversed after he met the party founder chairman Imran Khan in jail who pardoned him.

According to the latest show-cause notice, Sher Afzal Marwat, as MNA and member of the core committee, has a full understanding of the negotiation process, therefore, as a member of the Assembly and Core Committee, he should not have made statements against any negotiation team member. The notice says that Marwat also made harsh comments regarding the ongoing negotiations, thus violating the party policy. The latest notice follows Marwat’s harsh criticism of Secretary General PTI Salman Akram Raja on a TV talk show. Marwat had questioned Raja’s ‘competence’ in the talk show and had also put a question mark on his legitimacy as the party secretary general without having contested the intra-party polls. He also told the tv host that he would raise the issue before the founder chairman.

Following the show cause notice, Marwat in his reaction on ‘X’ announced to present his case before Imran Khan. “Being in the party does not mean attacking my friends on the media. I have not attacked anyone, but I have the right to respond,” he clarified. Marwat said that propaganda is being spread against him that he had received very few votes in the 2018 elections. He advised such people to do their research before spreading propaganda. The PTI leader explained that in the 2018 elections, the PTI had not given him a ticket and he withdrew in favour of PTI candidates.