ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) on Wednesday issued a show-cause notice to its MNA Anjum Aqeel Khan, asking him to submit a written reply by July 30 about last week's incident of his escape from police custody and his alleged involvement in a land fraud case.

In another development, the party suspended basic membership of eight party workers involved in the attack on a police station in Islamabad and managing the MNA's escape on July 15.

According to sources in the party, all the decisions were made at a meeting of the party's senior members held in Murree and presided over by PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif.

According to an official announcement, the membership of Mr Khan's supporters will remain suspended till completion of investigations into their role in the events that took place outside Shalimar police station in Islamabad on the fateful evening.

The activists whose membership has been suspended are Malik Rab Nawaz, Malik Akhtar, Rana Muhammad Zaheer Khan, Sajid Abbasi, Malik Mustafa, Raja Nasir Mahfooz, Yasir Abbasi and Fayyaz Jatt.

The party has also directed the other party members nominated in the FIR (first information report) registered against them under the Anti-Terrorism Act to “immediately submit to the legal process”.Interestingly, the show-cause notice to the MNA had been served through the specially-constituted disciplinary committee headed by Raja Zafarul Haq which, according to the sources, had earlier absolved him of the charges of escaping from police custody.

The committee in its report had stated that the MNA was forcibly removed from the police custody by a crowd and that the escape was not pre-planned.

The committee members on July 17 had announced that they had completed their work and would send the report to Mr Sharif for further action. However, the sources said, Mr Sharif was still very upset over the incident that had caused damage to the party's image and now wanted the committee to seek the MNA's reply in writing not only over the July 15 incident but also about his alleged involvement in the land fraud cases registered against him under which he was originally picked up by the police.

Through the show-cause notice, the MNA has been asked to give “reasons for your failure to exercise leadership and return to the police station immediately after the crowd had forcibly removed you from the police custody outside Police Station Shalimar, Islamabad.”

The MNA has also been asked to give “reasons for your arrest and facts about your alleged involvement in the National Police Foundation land case which is being investigated by the FIA”.