MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Azad Kashmir on Monday submitted a disqualification reference against four deviant assembly members to the Speaker Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly, Chaudhry Latif Akbar.
The reference was submitted on the directives of President PTI Azad Kashmir, Abdul Qayyum Khan Niazi, against floor crossing by the party lawmakers.
The four MLAs include Chaudhry Rafique Nayyar, Minister Javed Butt, Akmal Sargala, and Ali Shan Soni. General Secretary PTI Muzaffarabad and Advocate Wahid Bashir Awan submitted a reference.
It is pertinent to mention that these members, including government ministers, have joined the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) ahead of the upcoming election. PTI Azad Kashmir has already suspended the party membership of defected MLAs.
While talking to journalists in Muzaffarabad, PTI Azad Kashmir Vice President Syed Zeeshan Haider said that these people have committed treason against the public mandate in moral, political, and democratic terms.
Haider added that politicians who change their allegiance after being elected on a party ticket undermine the trust of the people and damage the prestige of the state.
He emphasized that a regular law exists in Azad Kashmir against floor crossing, but unfortunately, a “disgusting tradition” has emerged in recent years, which has severely damaged public trust and democratic values. He said that PTI has made a practical attempt to end this trend by filing a reference against the defectors.
Furthermore, the party’s Vice President stated that the Speaker of the Azad Kashmir Assembly is constitutionally bound to send the reference to the Election Commission, which can lead to the disqualification or de-seating of the deviant members.
He warned that those who are disloyal to their mandate and party will face a tragic political end, just like in the past.
Haider stressed that the recent political history of Pakistan is a witness that those who are disloyal to Imran Khan not only fall from the eyes of the people but also face a tragic political end. The same fate will befall these “loots” in Azad Kashmir too. The people are now aware that the supremacy of ideological politics, merit, and justice is the future of this region.
