Fissures in PTI ranks as Ali Asghar issued notice

• Kundi points out ‘incapable status quo politicians, experts of manipulation’ around party chairman
• ‘Imran Khan punishes those who raise voice against his friends, investors’

It seems fissures again have emerged within the ranks of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as the dissident group within the party ranks have joined party’s senior leader Ali Asghar Khan who has been issued a show cause notice by MPA Zar Gul Khan, party’s regional president.

Ali Asghar, the son of veteran politician Asghar Khan, has been issued a show cause notice on May 7 for the alleged violation of the party discipline. In the show cause, MPA Zar Gul alleged that Ali Asghar had been found involved in violation of the party discipline. The dissenter was a PTI’s candidate for PK-45 Abbottabad in 2013 general elections.

“You have made serious allegations on sitting lawmakers and ministers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it’s not only produced chaos in party workers but also deteriorate(d) party image in national as well as international media. You are hereby given this show cause notice to provide witnesses of your allegations and answer this notice in next 14 days,” according to the notice, a copy of which is available with Pakistan Today.

“Furthermore, making any statement in news or media will be consider serious violation of the party discipline. Any charges against the member of the KP Assembly must be brought to the knowledge of the (party) chairman. If you fail to answer this show cause or fail to provide witnesses of your allegations, then serious action will be taken against you,” according to the notice which carries several grammatical and typing mistakes.

The language of the show cause suggests that the party’s provincial leadership wanted to avoid media backlash by strictly directing Ali Asghar not to share show cause with the media which would be treated as another violation of party’s code. It merits mention that Ali Asghar had addressed a crowded press conference last week and had leveled serious allegations against ministers from Hazara Division Mushtaq Ghani and Qalandar Khan Lodhi for malpractices and corruption.

It is pertinent to mention here that both Lodhi and Ghani had been elected as independent candidates and later joined the PTI. While Ali Asghar was a party stalwart who is being sacrificed for both the MPAs who have no understanding or commitment to the party’s vision, according to him. When contacted, Ali Asghar said that he did not receive the show cause notice yet.

However, he said that he had been conveyed by family and friends that the show cause notice had been posted on social media website, Facebook. “If this is the manner to handle the party affairs, one can only express grief and remorse,” he said. Asked to give his viewpoint, Ali Asghar said that he had worked days and nights for the party and he would discuss the party affairs within the party platform and not with the media.

The situation took another twist on Monday when party’s senior leader Abdul Qayyum Khan Kundi not only announced to stand by Ali Asghar but said that lot of the party members had joined him. “I have just spoken to former Punjab governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar. He has also joined our group and has expressed full support to Ali Asghar,” he said.

He said that the group had started to finalise lists of the group to contest the next elections. Pakistan Today made several attempts to reach out to Chaudhry Sarwar but could not do so as his cell phone remained switched off. Kundi said that the party’s regional president had issued an illegitimate and unconstitutional show cause to Ali Asghar.

“PTI Chairman Imran Khan has gathered incapable status quo politicians around him that are experts of manipulation. They would go to any extreme to control PTI and Bani Gala. One such incident happened yesterday when these illegitimate and unconstitutional office holder of Hazara region issued a show cause to Ali Asghar for holding a press conference,” he said.

Kundi said that Chairman Imran has constituted a disciplinary committee comprising of cronies. “Why not use that forum to send show cause and why show cause was issued by regional president. In other words, these incapable people pursue the rule of the jungle and expect everyone to accept it,” he argued.

The PTI leader said that Imran Khan should be defender and protector of those that raise voice against corruption. “But unfortunately, his track record shows that he punishes those who raise their voice against his friends and investors. There is a long list of such people including Ehtisab DG Hamid Khan, Justice Wajihuddin Ahmed, SCAD, Tasneem Noorani, Sardar Sher Bahadur and many others. This has damaged Imran’s credibility severely,” he added.

“There is no forum in the party that has credibility or legitimacy to provide a channel for party members to bring their grievances. I know for sure Ali Asghar tried many times to convey to Chairman Imran the state of affairs in Hazara but was brushed aside without any concrete action,” he added.

“I stand with Ali Asghar in this matter and advised him to reject this illegitimate notice. This is not the last press conference. There are more press conferences planned by others to highlight these violations of the party constitution, merit, and ideology,” he warned.