From left: Latif Khosa and Aitzaz Ahsan. File photos
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Wednesday announced it has suspended the basic membership of senior leaders Aitzaz Ahsan and Sardar Latif Khosa, allegedly for violating the party’s discipline by meeting a rival party’s chairman without seeking prior permission.
Speaking with Geo News, PPP Central Punjab President Rana Farooq Saeed confirmed that the basic membership of both lawyers—who have increasingly been aligned with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan—has been suspended. “A final decision about expelling the leaders from the party is expected during the party’s upcoming CEC [central executive committee] meeting,” he added. Both Ahsan and Khosa are also members of the PPP’s CEC.
A day earlier, the PPP’s Punjab chapter had inaugurated a “Wall of Shame” at the party’s provincial secretariat, featuring photos of those who had “betrayed” the party despite enjoying coveted positions and privileges. Khosa’s picture was among those adorning the wall.
Speaking with ARY News on Wednesday night, PPP spokesperson Faisal Karim Kundi stressed that while both Ahsan and Khosa’s membership had been suspended, neither had as yet been ousted from the party. He said Khosa had violated party discipline by meeting the chairman of the PTI without taking prior permission from the PPP leadership. He also clarified that no individual could be ousted from the PPP without being issued a show-cause, adding that this procedure had not been undertaken yet.
Both Ahsan and Khosa—despite being part of the PPP—have been vocal critics of the ruling coalition, and have repeatedly voiced support for the PTI. On Tuesday, they called on Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial to discuss “important” legal notices, with observers noting this raised questions over an attempt to manipulate proceedings, as the Supreme Court is currently hearing a petition field by Ahsan in which Khosa is representing him.
The hour-long meeting, reportedly, dealt primarily with the petition seeking a halt to trials of civilians in military courts, as well as the supremacy of the Constitution. Local media has further alleged that Ahsan, in particular, urged the CJP to fix the petition in the apex court at the earliest.
Khosa, meanwhile, met the PTI chief at his residence in Lahore on Monday. In a posting on Twitter, he thanked Khan for visiting him and announced he was joining the PTI chief’s legal team. He has also drawn the ire of the PPP by claiming, in a recent media interaction outside the Lahore High Court, that Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari should not be part of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s cabinet.