BARA: Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Muhammad Iqbal Afridi said on Thursday that he was elected as an independent candidate and, therefore, no one has the authority to suspend or terminate either his parliamentary or Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) membership.
The PTI has suspended his parliamentary party membership and issued him a show-cause notice over alleged misconduct towards party lawmakers and repeated complaints regarding his behaviour and adherence to party discipline.
Speaking at a press conference here, MNA Iqbal Afridi alleged that certain elements within the party were conspiring against him to serve personal interests and appease specific individuals.
Placing his hand on the Holy Quran, the MNA said that he had neither abused nor used inappropriate language against anyone.
He stated that he had no connection with the scuffle that reportedly took place outside the jail a day earlier, adding that he was being targeted for raising an effective voice against the government.
Iqbal Afridi alleged that certain people within the party, whom he described as “agents of the government,” were actively working to initiate action against him.
He accused PTI KP chapter president MNA Junaid Akbar, MNA Sahibzada Sibghatullah, and MNA Saleem-ur-Rehman of plotting against him within the party in an attempt to please the speaker, but said he would not be intimidated by such tactics.
The MNA stressed that, in order to steer the party out of the current crisis and secure the release of PTI founder Imran Khan, it was essential to give Aleema Khan and other women members of Imran Khan’s family a central role in the political struggle and party activities.
Iqbal Afridi maintained that whenever the party had faced difficult circumstances, Imran Khan’s family had stepped forward to support and strengthen it.
“Aleema Khan and her sisters also deserve credit for bringing the protest movement out of closed-door meetings and to the forefront of Adiala Jail,” he stated.
He asserted that his sole objective was to secure Imran Khan’s release and strengthen the party.
The MNA said he was among the founding members of the party and that the parliamentary party had no authority to suspend or terminate a member’s basic party membership.
He explained that the parliamentary party could only make recommendations, and that too in cases where a member had violated party policy or discipline.
The MNA asked what violation he had committed and demanded that any allegations against him be presented before the public along with supporting evidence.
He reaffirmed his commitment to continuing his political struggle and playing every possible role in efforts aimed at securing Imran Khan’s release.
