25 dissidents say PTI notice illegal

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s 25 dissident MPAs Monday termed the show-notice served on them unconstitutional and illegal, claiming the party had failed to meet legal requirements in the process.

MPA Aleem Khan’s counsel Salma Akram Raja contended before the Election Commission of Pakistan’s three-member bench that the record provided by the PTI showed that no directions had been issued by the parliamentary party, whereas it was mentioned in the reference that all related record, including the declaration was sent by PTI Chairman Imran Khan. However, in the PTI show-cause notice, submitted on April 2, there was no mention of any direction from the parliamentary party. 

“If the notice was issued on April 16, then how could there a direction for any action against him on April 18. There must be sufficient time for explanation. The candidate for chief minister’s post was not a PTI member. The chairman nominated an outsider as a candidate and dictated the party members,” he said.

The party members, he noted, had reservations about the person, nominated from outside the party and the affidavit, submitted had the name of party MPA Sibtain Khan, who had no role in framing the declaration. The bench asked if there was no direction from the party, then a member was free in terms of casting his vote. 

Another from the dissidents side said that it was mentioned in the minutes of the parliamentary party meeting that members of the PMLQ and the PMLN also supported Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, whereas he could not be summoned to the PTI parliamentary party meeting. Therefore, it was then not the PTI parliamentary party meeting.

Initially, the bench said the PTI had had submitted a signed reply to a response and an affidavit to which lawyer Shahzad Shaukat from the dissidents questioned what would be the status of the previous reply to the response submitted on Friday and urged for bringing on record the previous one as he wanted to give arguments on it.

“Imran has taken a u-turn from his earlier affidavit and is expressing no confidence in the Election Commission,” the lawyer emphasized. To it, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja said that Imran Khan had been directed to submit a signed copy and added that there could be consequences of submitting an unsigned copy.

The dissidents’ lawyer said that the new reply to the response should be rejected upon which, the chief election commissioner said it was to be seen whether or not the new reply would be made a part of the record. The hearing was adjourned until Tuesday noon.