Wajihuddin Ahmed, a former Supreme Court judge, insisted on Monday that he is still an active member of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf (PTI) as he has not yet received any suspension order. Talking to Business Recorder on telephone, he said that some "opportunists" within the party are misguiding the party chief Imran Khan after they were exposed for turning the PTI into a "family-limited" party like other status quo parties.
The findings of the intra-party election tribunal, he added, badly exposed the nefarious designs of those who hijacked the party one way or another. "The reason they could not digest my presence in the PTI is because they wanted to carry forward the status quo politics," he added. According to Justice Wajih, the reports of his suspension were aired only on television channels. "I have not received any order or notification suspending my party membership," he said.
"I've heard that Imran Khan suspended my party membership and I'm still waiting for the notification. They should inform me through a letter so that I may respond," he added. If a party decides to suspend membership a show-cause notice has to be issued first, and then the accused has the right to respond to the allegations before his membership is suspended, the former judge stated.
"In my case, there are a handful of opportunists who are misguiding Imran Khan...and Imran Khan is not at fault whatever. Once he [Imran] comes to know what's going on in the party, he will definitely take action against those who appear hell-bent on destroying the party," he added. "I am not known as a PTI member but am known in my own right as a man of integrity," he added. On 5 August PTI chairman Imran Khan suspended the basic party membership of retired Justice Wajihuddin Ahmad, according to a statement issued by Shireen Mazari, who is the spokesperson for the PTI chief.
The statement said that the suspension came on the heels of Imran Khan's August 4 notification stating that anyone discussing party matters publicly would be suspended from party membership. The statement said that Justice Wajih had defied Imran Khan's notification and declared that he would continue to air internal party matters in public. It also noted that Imran Khan had held a three-hour long meeting with former Justice Wajih, making it clear that "no democratic political party allows its members to discuss internal party matters in the public domain" and that grievances should be aired internally at party fora.
The PTI statement emphasised that there should be no confusion about the fact that according to the party constitution "it is the chairman who is authorised to make the final decision on what is in the best interest and advancement of the Party". The two-member tribunal headed by Justice Wajih had been formed by the party in 2013 to investigate allegations of irregularities in the intra-party elections. After its detailed judgement was issued on March 18, Imran Khan dissolved the tribunal and issued a notification of its dissolution with effect from March 22. The tribunal had earlier passed several orders on various petitions and termed the intra-party polls seriously flawed, reducing the terms of office of those elected from four years to two years.
Subsequently, after it had been officially dissolved, the tribunal summoned Imran Khan to appear before it on April 21 to explain why he had not complied with its earlier orders. The retired justice had expressed his reservations, especially with regard to the non-implementation of the tribunal's decisions during a previous meeting.
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