ISLAMABAD: The core committee of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday declared that all those who left the party in times of distress will not be allowed to join the party again as their fate will be decided solely by Imran Khan after his release from jail.
The announcement from the party’s core committee days after a large number of PTI defectors like Imran Ismail, Ali Zaidi, Fawad Chaudhry and others hinted at returning to the party.
“Today they [defectors] have no moral or any other authority to comment on the affairs of the party while sitting outside,” said the PTI core committee.
In an obvious reference to a statement made by Fawad Chaudry, a former PTI leader, who had accused the PTI senior leadership of not doing anything for Imran Khan’s release, the committee said that “as far as PTI is concerned, they are irrelevant and their statements are inconsequential”.
It made it crystal clear that “such people will never be acceptable in the party again”, adding, “the cases of those who show remorse and regret will be the sole prerogative of Imran Khan”.
The party affirmed that strict discipline will be enforced within the party ranks under all circumstances, adding all cases of indiscipline in the future will be dealt with promptly and strictly including suspension of party membership.
“The cases of all those who have been served with disciplinary notices shall be decided within seven days,” it added.
Meanwhile, the core committee meeting, through a resolution, placed on record its acknowledgement of meritorious services rendered by Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan through some extremely testing times for the party.
The resolution was passed as Ayub was assaulted by party workers in the premises of a local court in Islamabad as they demanded him to step down as secretary general, warning “if anything happens to Imran Khan, the workers will not spare the PTI leadership”.
Following the assault at the hands of the workers, Ayub had tendered his resignation under pressure from the PTI workers, but the core committee rejected it, saying he is running party in the light of the vision of Imran Khan.
The core committee – in its meeting on Monday –also called upon him to withdraw his resignation as continuity of policies is vital for the party at this crucial juncture, adding any grouping within the party at this crucial stage would damage Imran Khan’s mission of “Haqeeqi Azadi.”
The core committee requested party founding chairman Imran Khan not to accept Ayub’s resignation.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024