ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday expelled its two members of the Sindh Assembly over violating party discipline by voting against the party in the Senate elections.
As per details, PTI MPA elected from PS-1 Jacoababad-1 Aslam Abro and Shehryar Khan Shar, elected from PS-18 Ghotki-1 have been expelled from the party while their basic membership has also been revoked.
The decision was made by the Standing Committee on Accountability and Discipline (SCAD) South Sindh.
According to the committee, both the lawmakers violated party lines during the Senate polls and failed to clarify their position despite being summoned.
Aslam Abro and Shaharyar Shar violated party guidelines during the Senate elections. Both the members were given the opportunity to defend themselves. After [going through] clear and concrete evidence and not having received any clarification, this matter is being wrapped,” the PTI statement said.
It added that the two lawmakers’ “basic membership should be ended and they should be expelled from the party with immediate effect”.
The higher authorities have been recommended to contact the Election Commission of Pakistan for action against both the MPAs.
It may be recalled that during the Senate elections, Aslam Abro and Shehryar Shar had opposed voting for Saifullah Abro in the Senate elections held on March 3, saying that the decision to give him tickets was taken by Sindh Governor Imran Ismail
A week earlier, the lawmakers from the ruling PTI and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had gotten into a clash after three PTI lawmakers Karim Gabol, Shehryar Shar and Aslam Abro, who raised reservations over the distribution of Senate tickets in Sindh, entered the house.
Gabol had claimed prior to the elections that his party has given Senate tickets to candidates in exchange for money, adding that the Constitution of the country allows him to vote for any candidate.
Abro and Shar were seen to have exited the assembly with the PPP lawmakers, and Abro had reportedly stated that it was the PTI that had kidnapped Gabol.
Abro, while talking to media persons, had said that they contested elections on their own and freedom of expression is everyone’s right. The lawmaker had said that he is and will remain a member of PTI but will cast vote for Senate elections according to his conscience.
He further had said that he repeatedly asked the provincial governor to do development work in Sindh but no federal minister ever visited rural areas of the province and they do not even know the names of their MPAs.
He had also claimed that the Sindh chapter of the party keeps Prime Minister Imran Khan in the dark.
PTI members have raised concerns over the way the party distributed the tickets, PPP leader Nasir Hussain Shah had said after the incident. “PTI’s disgruntled members approached us and said that they won’t vote for their party,” he had claimed.
“We don’t know if Gabol’s issue was planted or not,” he had remarked on the occasion. What happened in the assembly is condemnable and this should not have happened. “Gabol said that he wanted to go with his party members and no one stopped him,” Shah had added.
“We believe in democracy and no one is being pressured in anyone.”
