ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) issued a show-cause notice to its firebrand leader Sher Afzal Marwat on Saturday in response to his recent “irresponsible” statements against fellow party leaders.
Marwat came out all guns blazing earlier this week on May 8 against fellow party leaders Shibli Faraz and Omar Ayub after he was denied a meeting with PTI founder Imran Khan at Adiala jail.
The show cause notice, issued by the PTI General Secretary Omar Ayub, maintained that Marwat violated party policy and made statements that harmed the party’s structure.
The notice reiterated that the founding chairman had previously informed Marwa that the party’s policy should not be violated.
“He has disrupted relations with fellow members through his words and actions,” the show-cause notice added.
The notice further added that Marwat must provide a written explanation within three days as to why disciplinary action should not be taken against him. In the event of no response, disciplinary action will be taken against the party, the notice warned.
The latest development adds to a series of controversies involving Marwat, who has previously been blamed for internal discord within the party.
In a separate incident on May 8, during a media address outside Adiala jail, Marwat’s associates had reacted aggressively to a journalist’s probing question about the leader’s alleged attempts to secure the chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) by ‘begging’ to PML-N leader Khawaja Asif and National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq.
Initially nominated by Imran as the PAC chairman, Marwat’s nomination was retracted after he faced criticism from the party leadership. The political committee of the PTI replaced him with Sheikh Waqas Akram.
Earlier this month, Imran reportedly removed Marwat from key party positions, including as a focal person and from the group responsible for vetting individuals permitted to meet Khan at Adiala Jail.
Marwat was also instructed to disband his social media team. These decisions were said to have been made based on recommendations from the PTI core committee.
This is the second time the party leader has been served with a show-cause, earlier this year on February 24, PTI issued a show-cause notice to him over his televised remarks against the party’s acting Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan.