Ayesha Gulalai announces she will not leave PTI

ISLAMABAD: Ayesha Gulalai, the estranged member of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has made clear that she has not left the party and will continue to remain a part of it, as "the PTI is not the personal estate of Imran Khan".

Speaking at a news conference after appearing before the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Gulalai said: “Imran Niazi doesn’t hold any right to expel anyone from the party.”

Gulalai urged the people to not attend PTI’s political gathering scheduled in NA-120, Lahore tomorrow (Friday). 

“People should not go to jalsas of a characterless man. Imran Niazi’s politics of deceit will not continue” she said.

Continuing her jibes at the PTI chairman, she added that Imran did not even visit the ailing dengue patients in Peshawar as he fears that he may get infected with the virus.

Gulalai said that the PTI has become hostage to the feudal and rich, 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 lamented.

She lashed out at few media channels for not highlighting the issues of dengue patients admitted in the hospitals of Khyber Pakhtunkhuwa, accusing them of compromising their impartiality to support the PTI chairman.

ECP directs Gulalai to submit response 

Meanwhile, the ECP on Thursday directed MNA Ayesha Gulalai to submit a written response in the next hearing of a disqualification reference against her.

Earlier, Imran 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, a member of the National Assembly from the PTI, 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 and 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.