PESHAWAR  - The dissident MNAs of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have neither been contacted by the party leadership nor any show cause notice is served on them so far.
“We have neither formed any forward bloc within the party, nor do we have any such plan in future. However, we will form an independent group if expelled from the party,” the PTI disgruntled MNA Gulzar Khan said while talking to The Nation on Saturday.
A day earlier, PTI Chairman Imran Khan has warned to oust all those who have not submitted resignations. “If we are expelled from the party, we will appeal against the decision.”
The three disgruntled MNAs of the PTI have refused to tender resignations on the party direction, undermining the party’s plan to build up pressure on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to step down.
There is a democratic process to expel anyone from the party, Gulzar said and added that neither the dissident lawmakers have resigned from the party not would they do so in future.
Gulzar, PTI MNA from NA-4, Peshawar, while elaborating defection law said that under article 63A of the constitution, disqualification on grounds of defection only applies if a member of a parliamentary party resigns from membership of his political party or joins another parliamentary party, or votes or abstains from voting in the house contrary to any direction issued by the party he/she belongs to in relation to election of the prime minister or the chief minister or a vote of confidence or a vote of no-confidence or a money bill.
Gulzar questioned if the PTI had taken a decision in principle to resign from the assemblies then why the party had not been implemented the same decision when it comes to resigning from the provincial assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “We are not against party’s policy but we have adopted a principled stance on the issue of quitting the National Assembly,” he said.
After developing serious differences with the party leadership over the issue of resignations, three MNAs of the PTI from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accused the party leadership of not consulting them over the decision of resignations. They said that they were neither consulted nor were taken on board over such a big decision. The three MNAs who have not yet submitted their resignations are Gulzar Khan, Nasir Khattak and Musarrat Ahmad Zeb.