PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf on Friday has suspended the basic party membership of detained Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Mines and Mineral Development, Ziaullah Afridi, with immediate effect.

A letter, signed by PTI general secretary Jehangir Tareen, was issued to the provincial minister according to which the basic party membership of Mr Ziaullah Afridi stands suspended with immediate effect on the instructions of party chairman Imran Khan.

Ziaullah's removal from the provincial cabinet is also on the cards as Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has initiated proceedings and sent a summary to Governor Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan in this regard.

Law and parliamentary affairs ministry Imtiaz Shahid Qureshi told Dawn on Thursday that the chief minister had requested the governor to de-notify Ziaullah as member of the cabinet.

He said the establishment department would de-notify Ziaullah’s portfolio after the governor signed the summary.

The provincial ehtesab commission had arrested Ziaullah on July 9 on the charges of misusing authority and allowing illegal mining in various areas of the province.

He is currently on physical remand.

Ziaullah, who was taken into custody from his house, was given on 13 days physical remand to the ehtesab commission on last Friday.

The commission alleged that the minister had failed to exercise his authority to prevent loss to the exchequer caused by illegal mining and rather he willfully facilitated the same for personal gains.

Also read: Resign or get the sack, PTI to Ziaullah

PTI had earlier asked Ziaullah Afridi either resign from his portfolio or get ready for sacking. Information minister Mushtaq Ghani told Dawn that either Ziaullah would have to resign himself or the provincial government would have to move to remove him from the provincial cabinet.

“As long as the inquiry against him (Ziaullah) is going on, he is not going to be a minister,” he said.

Also read: PHC asks Ehtesab commission to explain Ziaullah arrest

Meanwhile Ziaullah had challenged his arrest in the Peshawar High Court and alleged after his arrest that he was implicated in a false case at behest of Chief Minister Khattak for ‘not facilitating the front men of the chief minister in illegal acts.'