SIC chief hits back at PTI after Sher Afzal Marwat's statement

• SIC chief asks PTI leaders to resolve their issues.
• Hamid Raza says he didn't request for alliance.
• Ali Zafar says decision to join SIC taken without his knowledge.

ISLAMABAD: Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza Friday warned the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders against washing their dirty laundry in public, saying he has a lot to reveal but choosing not to share because of his commitment to party's founder Imran Khan’s cause.

Hamid Raza blasted after PTI leader Sher Afzal Marwat’s statement that entering into an alliance with the SIC was a mistake and that the party lost 80 seats due to wrong decisions.

The SIC chief took a strong exception to Marwat’s comments and advised the PTI to put its house in order.

Taking to X, Hamid Raza said it is better that PTI friends resolve their issues at home, emphasising that the decision to join the SIC was taken by Imran Khan.

“I did not make any request,” he posted.

The politician wrote that from election symbol to reserved seats, he has a lot to say and if he reveals the truth in talk shows, many people will not be able to show their face.

“My commitment is with Imran Khan and will always be and I can’t think ill for Imran Khan just for media publicity and that was the reason that I keep silent,” he added.

Do not create division on someone's instructions, the SIC chief insisted.

Cracks in PTI over alliance with SIC

Meanwhile, PTI senior leader Senator Barrister Ali Zafar Friday said at first it was decided to merge the party with Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM) (for reserved seats) and next day, it was changed to opt for the SIC.

Speaking on Geo News talk show ‘Naya Pakistan with Shahzad Iqbal Kay Sath’, the PTI stalwart explained that on the directive of the PTI founder, it was decided to join the MWM but the decision was changed the next day, when some people, who met Imran Khan in Adiala jail, came out and said "now we will go with Sunni Ittehad Council".

Expressing his astonishment on the development, Zafar said: “When I asked Imran Khan about this, he said he had not changed the decision.”

Ali Zafar, however, emphasised: “The decision will have to be revised no matter how it was taken; it was our mistake; as to where and how this miscommunication was committed.”

He conceded that Sher Afzal Marwat was right.

“At first, a decision was made to join the MWM. Prior to that, a decision was also made to unite with Maulana Sheerani’s party as Sheerani’s group also participated in the election and had also given a list of reserved seats.”

He further pointed out that the next option was the MWM, which had contested the election and also had a member in the Parliament. Moreover, they had also provided a list of reserved seats but this decision was also changed, and it was decided to join the SIC, which had not participated in the elections. Therefore, he noted, the ECP and Peshawar High Court (PHC) decided not to give the SIC reserved seats.

“The options should always be used in a situation where there is no room for discussion. The issue of merger/unity was not discussed in the Core Committee meeting,” he explained.

Barrister Ali Zafar said that the case of reserved seats of the SIC was not one that had been decided before. It is an interpretation of the Constitution and the Elections Act, and there may be three or four opinions.

The Supreme Court has to decide whether our interpretation is correct or the verdict of the ECP or the PHC.

“We also referred to the Election Commission’s decision to give specific seats to the BAP party in the court. To which, the ECP said that they do not know why they gave reserved seats to the BAP, so this decision cannot be used as an example here,” he said.