PESHAWAR: The organising committee of Awami National Party (ANP) Friday expelled its senior leader Senator Azam Khan Hoti for what it called levelling “baseless” allegations and using foul language against the senior leadership of the party, including Asfandyar Wali Khan.
According to a press statement issued from Bacha Khan Markaz, central office of the ANP, his basic party membership has been revoked.
Reacting to the decision, Azam Khan Hoti said he would fight back and expose the "incompetent and mindless party leadership."
The party’s provincial organizing committee, headed by Bashir Khan Matta, terminated Azam Hoti from the party for what its says violating the party discipline. However, it is now an open secret that his outburst against the ANP chief Afadnyar Wali Khan and demand for party chief’s resignation were the main causes for his unceremonious ouster.
“Azam Khan Hoti has been expelled form the party for violating the party discipline and adopting unacceptable attitude towards party’s high command,” the ANP provincial spokesman Sadaruddin Marwat told Dawn.com.
Azam Khan Hoti, speaking to media in Mardan, said that he would stand by his demand of Asfandyar’s ouster from the party and would not give up his principled stand.
He said that he would announce his future strategy in the next 48 hours and added that he was expecting the same decision from the “directionless party leadership.”
Last week, a show cause notice was served to the senior Hoti – father of former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Ameer Haider Hoti and brother-in-law of party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan.
Chairman of the organising committee, Bashir Ahmed Matta had warned Hoti of a disciplinary action against him in failing to comply with the show cause notice within a week.
According to the committee, Hoti had spoken to the media against the senior party leadership instead of discussing it on the party forum.
The controversy emerged in the party last month when a statement was issued by Azam Khan Hoti wherein he had held the party leadership responsible for the overwhelming defeat in May 11 general elections and also levelled other allegations.
He had said in the statement that the ANP was defeated due to wrong policies of the central and provincial leadership of the party. It was essential to not only separate Asfandyar Wali Khan from the party leadership, but also keep him away from the party affairs to save it from collapse, he said.
The senior politician had also threatened that nobody should use foul language or level allegations against him on the basis of his statement otherwise he would disclose certain facts that would cause shame to the leadership.
