ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan on Thursday directed ejected PTI leader Ayesha Gulalai to submit a written response in her next disqualification reference hearing.
Interestingly, to save her seat, Gulalai made it ‘clear’ that she has not left the party.
Speaking at a press conference after her disqualification reference hearing, she said, “Imran Niazi doesn’t hold any right to expel anyone from the party.”
She urged the people to not to attend PTI’s political gathering scheduled in NA-120. “People should not go to jalsas of a characterless man. Imran Niazi’s politics of deceit will not continue,” she said. Taking a jibe at Kaptaan, she added that the skipper did not even visit the ailing dengue patients as he fears that he may get infected with the virus.
She said the feudal and rich have held the PTI hostage and there is no respect for poor and young workers within the party.
“Middle class workers cannot even come on stage at the PTI jalsas,” she said.
She lashed out at few media channels for not presenting the issues of dengue patients admitted in the hospitals of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, accusing them of compromising their impartiality to support the PTI chairman.
Earlier, Kaptaan sent a notice to Gulalai, stating that she has defected from the party in terms of Article 63 A (1) of the Constitution.
“In furtherance thereof and in compliance with the requirements of Article 63 A (2) of the Constitution, this declaration is being forwarded to you as well as the speaker of the National Assembly and the chief election commissioner for further action in accordance with the constitution,” states the notice.
Gulalai quit the party earlier this month after levelling allegations of harassment and corruption at the PTI chief.
The notice, dated August 28 and sent to Gulalai’s home addresses in Islamabad and Peshawar, states that Gulalai on August 1 publically resigned from the party, did not vote for the party’s designated candidate in the prime minister’s elections on August 1.
“Each of your two aforementioned act(s) and omission(s) fall squarely within and constitute valid and actionable grounds under Articles 63 A (1) (a) and 63 (1) (b) (i) of the Constitution for declaring that you have defected from the PTI in terms of the said provisions of the Constitution.
It also mentions that Gulalai failed to reply to a show-cause notice issued to her by the party on August 10.
Published in Daily Times, September 8th 2017.
