ISLAMABAD: The PTI has issu­­ed a show-cause notice to Advocate Sher Afzal Marwat over rema­rks against PTI leader Barrister Gohar Ali Khan that had triggered a controversy within the party.

Mr Marwat has been advised to tender an unconditional apology within two days and has been informed that if he did not reply or his reply was unsatisfactory, further action would be taken as per the party policy.

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Amid wild rumours taking rounds about why the PTI founding chairman Imran Khan did not decide to continue with Mr Gohar as the party chairman, Mr Marwat claimed in a talk show that Mr Gohar was not competent enough to be continued as the party chairman. He claimed that it was the reason the party had decided to nominate Barrister Ali Zafar as a candidate for the chairman’s slot.

“Mr Gohar is a gentleman, but his performance was unsatisfactory. A cha­irman needs to be active all the time,” Mr Marwat said. He said that Mr Go­­har got three months but could not perform well, adding that Mr Gohar fai­led to lead from the front after the election results.

The PTI will hold intra-party elections on March 3. Imran Khan, the party’s founding chairman, has nominated Mr Zafar as the candidate for the chairman slot.

The show-cause notice to Mr Marwat, issued on Saturday and signed by PTI chief organiser Omar Ayub Khan, said: “It has come to the notice of the party leadership that you went against the party policy and gave a statement against Barrister Gohar Ali Khan which has caused significant distress that cannot be tolerated.”

Mr Marwat, who was elected as MNA from Lakki Marwat’s NA-41 constituency, was advised in the notice to apologise for the remarks and submit a written reply within two days.

The PTI earlier conducted its intra-party elections in Peshawar in December, in which all party representatives, including Barrister Gohar Khan as chairman, were elected unopposed.

However, the Election Commis­sion of Pakistan (ECP) rejected the party polls, a decision later upheld by the Supreme Court. As a result, the party was deprived of its election symbol, ‘bat’, and its candidates had to contest general elections as independent candidates.

The PTI again decided to hold intra-party elections on Feb 5, three days before general elections, but then withdrew the decision.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2024