- 17 lawmakers of KP Assembly urge CJP to probe vote-selling saga in Senate polls
- Estranged MPAs ask PTI to either tender apology or face court
- Khattak says cleared members to be reinstated
PESHAWAR: A number of ‘expelled’ Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) have given a 15-day deadline to the party’s top leadership, asking to drop the election rigging allegations or else they would move court.
On April 18, in a historical first, the PTI chief had announced to expel 20 MPAs belonging to the KP from his party’s if they failed to give a satisfactory response to the show-cause notices which are to be issued to them over alleged horse-trading in the Senate polls.
A group of PTI lawmakers addressed a presser at the residence of PTI lawmaker Qurban Ali Khan in Nowshera on Monday. The disgruntled members warned that Imran’s failure to tender an apology within a fortnight would lead to them moving the court against the leadership.
They further urged the Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar to take a suo motu notice against Imran Khan, asking him to form a judicial commission to inquire into the vote-selling saga in Senate election.
They said in a joint statement, “This should also be told as to how much for the conscience of lawmakers was sold to get the [incumbent] Senate chairman elected,”
According to MPA Qurban Ali Khan, Imran had staged a ‘drama’ of votes being sold out in KP.
Rejecting Imran’s support for the Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, Qurban said KP was deprived of its right. “Imran chooses wrong ways to gain popularity; we can see he has a dark future in upcoming 2018 election,” the MPA said. “Blaming others cannot make someone successful.” He added that the KP CM had saved his own people while targeting others.
MPA Yasin Khalil also said that the CM had accused lawmaker Ziaul Afridi of corruption while he was innocent. He accused the leadership of selling four tickets and seeking Rs400million to 500 for each.
He also accused Khattak of initiating the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) to amass money for the forthcoming elections. Wajiuz Zaman also accompanied his fellows on the occasion.
MPA Abdul Haq, who was also present on the occasion, said he rejected the allegations, announcing to resign from the chief minister Pervez Khattak’s advisory panel. He went on to add that the CM had ‘framed’ all allegations against them.
CLEARED MEMBERS TO BE REINSTATED:
Responding to the claims of innocence made by certain lawmakers, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Pervez Khattak said that an inquiry was underway and PTI would reinstate all those cleared of the allegations of horse-trading in Senate elections.
He maintained that the party was saddened over evicting some members, but the complaints were of serious nature and they had to take the action.
“Whoever we sacked from the party readily pledges with a holy book to prove his innocence in the horse-trading matter, who voted for the PPP then?” KP CM asked.
Speaking on the statement on Jamaat-e-Islami chief, he said, “We told Sirajul Haq that Imran Khan has asked to support Balochistan.”