‘Imran violated limits of discipleship’: Ahmad Raza Maneka quits PTI

PAKPATTAN: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Central Committee member and district president Mian Ahmad Raza Maneka along with 10 union council chairmen and vice-chairmen, dozens of councillors and hundreds of workers Saturday announced quitting the party arguing the party chief Imran Khan crossed the limit in saint-devotee relationship.

Addressing a press conference at his residence here, Maneka, who was also a former MNA, said that he did not want to serve as a PTI activist anymore. He said that other local leaders of the PTI had also decided to quit the party. He said that Imran Khan had never met any local leader during his visits to Pakpattan.

Maneka said that his family had been in the local politics and serving the people for the last 100 years. He said his family and PTI workers worked hard and succeeded to win 30 UC chairmen slots and the district council chairman slot, but the PTI leadership, including Imran Khan, did not laud their efforts. He said he was in contact with different political parties and will announce the future course of action after a meeting with his family members and friends. The former lawmaker said he would definitely contest the coming general elections. He regretted that not a single PTI leader visited his house to express condolence on the death of his mother.

Maneka said Pakpattan was the city of saints and people came here with reverence, but one devotee, Imran Khan, disrespected the relation of saint-devotee and crossed his limits.

Ahmad Raza Maneka’s brother Mian Farooq Maneka, Jashan Fareed Group chairman Mian Ali Imran Hotiyana, Allah Bakhsh Tariq and others were also present on the occasion.

Mushtaq Paracha adds from Nowshera: Four PTI lawmakers in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Saturday warned that the party was digging its own grave by not fulfilling election promises.

Speaking at a press conference in Nowshera, MPAs Qurban Ali Khan, Obaidullah Mayar, Zahid Durrani and Nagina Khan asked Imran Khan to probe the allegations of horse-trading in the Senate election to unmask the real culprits. They said they were ready to face any punishment if they were found guilty.

Qurban Ali demanded that the names of the party legislators should be made public who received money in return for voting for the PTI candidates in the Senate election. The lawmaker alleged that money was distributed among the party lawmakers in the name of ‘election funds’ to make them vote for the PTI nominees in the Senate election.

“We want to know as to how many PTI MPAs were taken into confidence before allotting tickets for the Senate election,” Qurban Ali asked, calling upon Imran Khan to look into the matter.

Qurban said that he had informed Imran Khan time and again about the presence of the black sheep in the party, but deplored that no action was taken against such elements.

He asserted that he had joined the PTI in the hope that it would implement its agenda of change but Imran Khan was soon surrounded by sycophants who didn’t want the cricketer-turned politician to deliver on the election pledge.

Visibly angry over the allegations of horse-trading against unnamed PTI lawmakers, Obaidullah Mayar said such accusations damaged their reputation and they would not allow anybody to resort to political mud-slinging.

The PTI MPAs claimed to have documentary evidence about the alleged sale of government jobs.

Nagina Khan said they had not sold their votes and had cast their ballot in favour of the PTI candidates in the Senate election. “These allegations will open up a Pandora’s box that will be very damaging for the PTI if corrective steps are not taken,” she maintained.

Asim Yasin adds from Islamabad: KP MPA from Mansehra Wajihuz Zaman has joined the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) after saying good-bye to the PTI.

“The dream of Imran Khan to become prime minister will never fulfil. Imran never respects anyone but only himself,” said Wajihuz Zaman while addressing a press conference along with President PML-Q Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain in Islamabad on Saturday.

Wajih, who joined the PTI after leaving the PML-N in 2015, said the PML-N was also based on personality and same was the case with the PTI. “I had joined the PTI after getting impressed with the slogan of change, but I assessed there was neither any ideology nor any principle in the PTI,” he said, adding that the people were depressed with the governance in the KP.

Explaining his reason for quitting the parties, Wajih said he never got a chance to prove himself in the PML-N or the PTI. “When I was in the PML-N, Nawaz Sharif didn’t shake hand with me for three years,” he said. Wajih said some people were critical of inclusion of Amir Liaquat Hussain by the PTI, but he asked them whether the people of calibre of Tipu Sultan or Salahuddin Ayubi have joined the PTI.

“Fauzia Qasuri, who was being declared as mother of PTI, also got depressed with the party,” he said.

He said decision makers in PTI did not have any capability. “I did not have any regret to leave the PTI as I had spent 10 years in the PML and it is like of my own home and Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain always gives us respect,” he said.