Islamabad (August 29, 2017): Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf sent a notice of defection to Ayesha Gulalai, officially removing her from the party. Copies of the notice have also been sent to the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan.
In the notice, issued on Monday, the party cited Gulalai’s public resignation in her August 1 press conference and her abstinence of voting in the elections for the prime minister in spite of instructions from her party as the reasons for her exclusion from PTI.
According to the notice, PTI chairman Imran Khan sent her a show-cause notice under Section 63A(1)(a) of the Constitution, asking her to justify her actions, otherwise “it shall be presumed that you (Gulalai) do not contest the show-cause notice, otherwise have no defence and acquiesce to the issuance of a notice of defection against you.”
The notice then mentions that Imran Khan, as party chairman, declared Gulalai defected from the party under Section 63A(1)(a) of the Constitution.
Copies of the notice have also been sent to the Chairman of the National Assembly and the Election Commission of Pakistan as required by the 63A(1)(b)(i) of the Constitution, to alert the two offices about the notice of defection and for “further action in accordance to the Constitution”.
On August 1, Ayesha Gulalai had announced her exit from the party amid a flurry of scathing allegations against Imran Khan and other top party members.
Gulalai made the announcement moments before the election of a new prime minister, citing “ill-treatment” of women in the party as the reason behind her decision. She claimed that she had communicated her grievances to the party leadership but no action had been taken.
Prior to her resignation Gulalai, who is a former PPP member, had been a staunch and vocal supporter of the PTI and Imran Khan, often featuring in prime time talkshows to defend party policies.
On August 4, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had called for the formation of a special committee to investigate the allegations of harassment levelled against Khan by Gulalai.
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